Jonas Vingegaard said his condition is getting stronger as the Tour de France tackles its first long ascents in 10 days, after earlier ceding the overall lead to Tadej Pogačar by more than two and a half minutes. Vingegaard expects UAE Team Emirates to attack for stage victories and plans to ride defensively at first, noting he is unfamiliar with the Col du Haag but that it looks steep on paper.
Teammate Mattias Skjelmose sits eighth overall, 5 minutes and 45 seconds behind Pogačar, and has been tucking into Vingegaard's slipstream during mass sprints to reach the finish safely. Vingegaard, who is more than two minutes ahead of Skjelmose in the general classification, navigated Thursday's crash-marred stage without major incident.
Meanwhile, Matteo Jorgenson has been isolated from the Visma-Lease a Bike group while recovering from illness following a stage-10 crash that contributed to a difficult stage 12. Vingegaard said the American is beginning to feel better ahead of weekend stages through the Vosges and Alps.