Jonas Vingegaard begins the first rest day of the Tour de France in second place, 2 minutes and 42 seconds behind race leader Tadej Pogačar.
The deficit was created largely on stage six, when Pogačar attacked on the Col du Tourmalet and rode alone for 43 kilometres before winning in Gavarnie-Gèdre. Vingegaard finished second but lost 2 minutes and 38 seconds to his principal rival. According to the Tour de France’s official classification after stage nine, Isaac del Toro is third, 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind the yellow jersey.
Pogačar’s display led some observers to suggest that the race for yellow was already effectively over. TV 2 Sport cycling expert Rolf Sørensen strongly rejects that conclusion and believes the reaction to Vingegaard’s performance has been unfair.
“People are disappointed. I also encounter that attitude. I actually get angry, because the results Jonas has achieved… He surpasses everything,” Sørensen said.
Read also: ‘This came out of nowhere’: McGregor rejects UFC 329 injury theory
Criticism overlooks an exceptional record
Sørensen’s frustration is rooted in Vingegaard’s record rather than his current position in the Tour.
“He has won a Giro, a Vuelta and two Tours de France. What he’s doing is absolutely fantastic,” he said.
That list is accurate. Vingegaard won the Tour in 2022 and 2023, added the Vuelta a España in 2025 and completed his collection with victory at the 2026 Giro d’Italia. As described in the Giro’s official review of his triumph, he became only the eighth male rider to win all three Grand Tours.
Vingegaard has also finished on the Tour podium in each of his five previous appearances. He was second in 2021, won the following two editions and finished runner-up to Pogačar in both 2024 and 2025.
Read also: ‘May the best team win and racism lose’: Sánchez hits back at Rajoy
A podium finish this year would therefore be his sixth in succession, rather than his sixth already secured. His current second place puts him in a strong position to extend that sequence, although more than half of the race remains.
Sørensen compared the criticism with supporters expressing disappointment after a national football team reached six World Cup finals but won only two.
His point was simple: Vingegaard’s repeated second places behind an exceptional rival should not be treated as evidence of failure.
Vingegaard refuses to concede yellow
Vingegaard accepts that his chances of winning have been damaged, but he does not believe the outcome has been decided.
Read also: Harry Kane reveals ‘surreal’ golf round with Donald Trump
“It may be that many people think so. But I don’t think so. I have been behind in the Tour de France before and won it anyway, and I still believe it can be done, and I certainly intend to fight all the way to Paris for it,” he told TV 2 Sport.
The reference was to the 2022 Tour. Pogačar led the race during the opening stages, but Vingegaard overturned the contest on the Col du Granon before defending yellow through the Pyrenees and into Paris.
The circumstances are different this time. Pogačar has already established a sizeable advantage and demonstrated clear superiority during the first major mountain test. Vingegaard’s performance on the Tourmalet represented his biggest single-day loss to the Slovenian since 2021.
Even so, the Tour remains a three-week race in which illness, crashes, extreme weather and difficult mountain stages can rapidly change the general classification.
Read also: ‘Going to Villa?’ Martinez fuels Manzambi transfer talk after World Cup exit
A demanding period almost changed his career
Vingegaard’s determination comes after a period in which the demands of professional cycling placed a serious strain on his motivation.
“As a cyclist, you feel like you’re constantly on a diet. You always have to think about your weight, and you’re always out training. A lot is demanded of you. It takes a toll on the body and the mind,” he said.
The Dane told Visma–Lease a Bike that his working conditions had to change if he was to continue following the same ambitious programme. His concerns centred partly on the number and duration of training camps, which repeatedly kept him away from his home and family.
“I said last year that if this is how it was going to be, I couldn’t be in it anymore,” Vingegaard said.
Read also: Former Premier League captain who survived cardiac arrest issues powerful World Cup appeal
He added that the team recognised his unhappiness and agreed to adjust his preparation. The changes included fewer prolonged camps and a less repetitive calendar.
According to Cyclingnews’ interview about his refreshed approach, Vingegaard felt he needed a new challenge after several seasons structured almost entirely around the Tour. Targeting the Giro in 2026 provided renewed energy and helped him avoid becoming mentally exhausted by the same programme.
“I think the team also realised that’s how it was, and they could also feel that I wasn’t happy last year,” he said. “They accepted that we needed to change something, and we did that.”
Pogačar remains in control
Sørensen acknowledges that Vingegaard’s chances of beating Pogačar are now lower than they were before the Tourmalet.
Pogačar has the yellow jersey, a strong UAE Team Emirates squad and a teammate in del Toro occupying third place. That gives UAE several tactical options when the race returns to the mountains.
Vingegaard nevertheless remains comfortably ahead of the other general-classification contenders. Del Toro is 45 seconds behind him, while Remco Evenepoel sits fourth at 3 minutes and 30 seconds from Pogačar.
For Sørensen, even another second-place finish would extend a remarkable run rather than represent a failed campaign. Vingegaard has already won the Giro this season and remains the closest challenger to the dominant rider in the Tour.
The Dane will continue searching for an opportunity to attack. Whether one arrives may depend on the high mountains later in the race, but neither Vingegaard nor his most vocal defender is prepared to accept that the contest is finished.
