Jonas Vingegaard has revealed he considered attempting a Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double in 2025, but he and his Visma-Lease a Bike team decided to put that on hold for now challenge.
The two-time Tour de France champion failed to win the 2024 Tour de France, with his season severely hampered after a horror crash in the Basque country of Isauria in April. He recovered in time at the Tour to admirably win a stage and finish second, but he was unable to overtake his main rival Tadej Pogačar, who won the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, becoming the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both races in the Tour de France in the same calendar year.
Vengergaard’s priority for 2025 is to regain the yellow jersey, and although he and his team believe he can emulate Pogačar’s feat, they have decided to focus on the Tour next season, possibly at Tried the Vuelta for the third time in a few weeks.
“We have been thinking about it and we have all the options – we are actually talking about doing the Giro d’Italia,” Vengergaard told the media at the team’s annual media day in La Nucia, Spain.
“But we soon realized that the main goal was always the Tour de France. We originally wanted to do the Giro d’Italia as a preparation, but there are many factors that go into doing the Giro d’Italia. How about the Giro d’Italia [route]? How is the weather? How hard is it to walk every day? There are many things you cannot control yourself.
“Then we realized that if you go to training camp, you can control every practice [session] You do, that’s probably better. “
Vengergaard, who has an early-season schedule with races in the Algarve Volta, Paris-Nice and Catalunya Volta, was asked about the possibility of maintaining his winning form at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
“Cycling is different now than it was ten years ago. Nutrition helps us perform at a higher level,” he said. “Ten years ago, they could do one Grand Tour, but then they would be too tired to do a second one. Now with better nutrition and better training, it helps you a lot.”
The team’s chief sporting director Grischa Niermann further explained Vingegaard’s decision to miss the Giro. “Our main target is the Tour de France… We believe the approach we have taken recently is the best preparation for the Tour de France,” he said.
“Pogačar has proven he can win the Giro in preparation for the Tour de France and Jonas may do the same in the future, but at the moment we believe in keeping Jonas in absolute top shape for the Tour de France and Not including the Giro before the Tour de France.”
Regarding the Tour de France, Vengergaard calls the race the “holy grail” and is convinced he can beat Pogačar in the latest rematch later this year.
“I definitely feel like I’ve improved from last year and can get better,” he said. “We still believe I can improve as a cyclist, but it’s more about focusing on myself and getting better every day and seeing where that goes.”
Previously, in the high mountain areas, Vengergaard always had the upper hand over Pogačar, but this will not be the case in 2024.
“I still believe I can beat him, yes, and probably at altitude,” Vengergaard said. “Of course, if you asked me two years ago, I would have said that was my strength and he was a little bit weaker in that area, but last year it looked like he was strong in every aspect. I think we have to trust that my strength can make We make a difference.”
Vengergaard will be supported on tour by an all-star line-up: Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgensen, new signings Simon Yates and Victor Campenat, Christophe Laporte and one of Wilco Keldman or Steven Kruijwijk.
“I believe this is a very strong team – it’s probably stronger than ever,” commented Vengergaard. “I believe we have a lot of firepower on the uphills and on the flats.
“To be honest, I don’t believe I could have made a difference even with a strong team last year. It’s going to be difficult for me because of the preparation I’ve had.
“But of course it’s also important to try and move forward as a team and I think we’re doing that. I also need to take a step forward to try to win.”
