Jonas Vingegaard demanded significant changes at Visma-Lease a Bike or he would quit professional cycling, advocating for more individualized rider programs. The Dane altered his own schedule this season, winning the Giro d'Italia before the Tour de France, but has struggled against rival Tadej Pogačar.
Pogačar won the Tourmalet stage and now leads Vingegaard by more than two and a half minutes on the rest day — the largest margin at this point in the Tour in over two decades. Vingegaard lost 2 minutes and 42 seconds to Pogačar on stage six, a deficit compounded by earlier mountain losses. Rival rider Oliver Naesen said Pogačar no longer considers Vingegaard a competitor.
Vingegaard maintains he still believes he can win a third Tour, comparing his form to the Giro, where he improved in later weeks. Tuesday's stage 11 finishes at Le Lioran, reprising a 2024 route Vingegaard won. Analysts point to stages 15, 19, and 20 as his best opportunities to close the gap.