Visma’s Performance Chief Admits Vingegaard Lacked Power to Match Pogačar—Outlines Road to Peak Form
Visma-Lease a Bike is facing one of its biggest challenges yet—getting Jonas Vingegaard back to his dominant best. The two-time Tour de France champion struggled to match Tadej Pogačar’s explosiveness in their early-season battles, and Visma’s head of performance has acknowledged the gap in power.
Speaking candidly about Vingegaard’s form, Visma’s performance boss admitted, “It became clear that Jonas lacked the explosiveness to respond to Pogačar.” This revelation has fueled the team’s determination to fine-tune his training and ensure he peaks at the right moment for the Tour de France.
Assessing the Deficit
While Vingegaard’s endurance and tactical intelligence remain world-class, Pogačar’s aggressive racing style and superior acceleration exposed a weakness in the Dane’s current form. The early-season showdowns, including Paris-Nice and other key warm-up races, have shown that Vingegaard needs to regain his ability to launch or counter sharp attacks on steep climbs.
Visma’s performance team is now focused on refining his explosiveness while maintaining his already formidable endurance. This means targeted high-intensity training, altitude camps, and carefully planned race schedules leading up to the Tour.
The Road to Peak Performance
Vingegaard has proven before that he can rise to the occasion when it matters most. His back-to-back Tour de France victories came from a mix of strategic racing and peak conditioning, particularly in the high mountains where he dominated in 2022 and 2023. The challenge now is to rediscover that form while adapting to Pogačar’s evolving strengths.
Visma-Lease a Bike is no stranger to fine-tuning their riders for success. If their track record is any indication, Vingegaard could return to the Tour stronger, more explosive, and ready to defend his title against Pogačar and the rest of the peloton.
With the Tour de France fast approaching, all eyes will be on how Vingegaard responds. Can he close the power gap and reclaim his dominance? The battle for yellow is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling yet.
