Teams & Riders Jonas Vingegaard thread: Love in Iberia

[Berniece]

In what world are these performances of Jonas different from what Pogacar usually does?

Where does he say that?

 

[canina82]

Where does he say that?

"He looks really good and it's a delight to see races where Pog is not there - it has a totally different dynamic"
What different dynamic did we have in this race? This PN looks a lot like other stage races Pogacar won.

 

[AmRacer]

Good performace by Jonas. When he crashed back in 2024 everyone with half a brain knew that either his career would be over or that it would take some years to get back into the same form.

Last year he was not over the crash, that was very clear. And his TdF was far from optimal.

But he is mopping the floor with the other riders at PN, which is at tier 3 - Ayuso was probably the only real contender trying his luck as what I would call a tier 2 GC rider.

This will cause happiness to the whole team, and I expect the team to actually do better in the classics due to the winning mentality they are showing here.

He looks really good and it's a delight to see races where Pog is not there - it has a totally different dynamic.

Jonas dominating vs Pogi dominating

 

[AmRacer]

With this form, Jonas should win Catalunya with one leg.

 

[dercuforever]

To me the main question should be if Vingegaard will be better after doing the Giro than without the Giro? I think the answer is no (the prize is adding the missing GT to his palmares). However, if he's way ahead of the Giro competition and can control his efforts then maybe he can start the Tour close to his optimal form (like Pog did in 2024). Battling Pog at the Tour is a monster task though.

Pog had to beat DFM though.
Almeida, Carapaz and Pellizari are much stronger.
Almeida did not have the best prep for la vuelta, as he aimed to peak for Tour were he fractured his ribs.
100% Almeida will probably require 95% Vingegaard.
In the 24 Giro Pog was likely doing less intensity than during altitude stages...

 

[TrekCyclist]

i think the 2024 tour and how he got there took a lot out of him and that he was burned out at the end of the season and so couldnt build as good a base as other years

It certaily looks like that. Remember most people were quite certain it was impossible for him to even make it to the start of the TdF, not even considering being able to fight for podium. Even if his TdF performance was very good (even without "considering the circumstances") it must have been too much for his body. I remember how skinny / pale he looked during the 3rd week, so you could tell this was taking a big toll. Such thing can take a year or so to come over.

 

[Netserk]

Vingegaard sulten efter mere: - Vil ikke udelukke det

Der er stadig tre muligheder for at vinde endnu en etape

www.feltet.dk

Bedre end i fjor
Formen er i hvert fald til det, det er der ingen tvivl om.

Paris-Nice er danskerens første løb i år, men han er mere end klar fra start. Og faktisk er han måske bedre, end han plejer på nuværende tidspunkt:

- Det er svært at sige. Måske er det det bedste eller i hvert fald ikke langt fra, vil jeg sige. Det er i hvert fald bedre end sidste år, det er sikkert. Hvis jeg skal sammenligne det, er det nok mere som for to år siden, pointerer Vingegaard.

Han henviser til sin 2024-sæson, hvor han, inden det alvorlige styrt i Baskerlandet Rundt, komplet dominerede Tirreno-Adriatico med to etapesejre og en overlegen samlet sejr og så skræmmende stærk ud, indtil styrtet spolerede resten af sæsonen.

Better than last year
The form is certainly there — there’s no doubt about that.

Paris–Nice is the Dane’s first race of the year, but he is more than ready from the start. In fact, he may even be better than he usually is at this point in the season.

“It’s hard to say. Maybe it’s the best, or at least not far from it, I would say. It’s definitely better than last year, that’s for sure. If I have to compare it, it’s probably more like two years ago,” Vingegaard points out.

He is referring to his 2024 season, when — before the serious crash in the Tour of the Basque Country — he completely dominated Tirreno–Adriatico with two stage victories and a commanding overall win, and looked frighteningly strong until the crash ruined the rest of his season.

 

[theyoungest]

I didn't quite expect this level of form after Vingegaard's trainer was sacked/left of his own volition, just last month. You'd think there would be some kind of emergency. Now whether it's his new trainer or it doesn't really have anything to do with it, either way he looks back to his best.

Of course we still don't really know what his true level is if he hasn't raced against the benchmark from Slovenia.

 

[Red Rick]

I didn't quite expect this level of form after Vingegaard's trainer was sacked/left of his own volition, just last month. You'd think there would be some kind of emergency. Now whether it's his new trainer or it doesn't really have anything to do with it, either way he looks back to his best.

Of course we still don't really know what his true level is if he hasn't raced against the benchmark from Slovenia.

Vingegaard can just repeat what worked in the spring of 23-24

 

[Peyresourde]

Just now, I finally had time to analyze yesterday's performance. On first watch I thought it looked very impressive, but my numbers don't quite agree:

Jonas Vingegaard | 76 (-4): 7.5 W/kg for 6:37 on Saint-Jean-de-Muzols (Paris Nice 2026 Stage 5)
and
Jonas Vingegaard | 79 (0): 7.35 W/kg for 7:44 on Saint-Barthelemy-le-Plain (Paris Nice 2026 Stage 5)

To repeat two such climbs in short order is certainly a very good performance for March, but the watts were not quite as impressive as it looked. The slower first half of the steep wall certainly lowered numbers there. He also did not look too laboured, so he probably did not go all out.

Nevertheless, Ayuso in his Algarve shape might have been able to follow him (for a while). The opponents that were left yesterday were really unimpressive.

 

[theyoungest]

Nevertheless, Ayuso in his Algarve shape might have been able to follow him (for a while). The opponents that were left yesterday were really unimpressive.

Perhaps. On the other hand, Tejada was 4th in UAE, Vauquelin was 5th in Algarve, Lenny Martinez was right up there with Jorgenson and Christen in the Faun-Ardèche classic. And we've seen that Jorgenson and Christen aren't exactly in bad shape.

 

[Peyresourde]

Perhaps. On the other hand, Tejada was 4th in UAE, Vauquelin was 5th in Algarve, Lenny Martinez was right up there with Jorgenson and Christen in the Faun-Ardèche classic. And we've seen that Jorgenson and Christen aren't exactly in bad shape.

Ayuso is a rider that is at least capable of being on Vingegaard's wheel before the attack and that already makes a huge difference. Yesterday, Onley lost the wheel and Vingegaard did not even have to attack which makes things a much easier for him.

If Ayuso is on the wheel, Vingegaard has to put in a real attack. This either drops Ayuso, which is very possible, or Ayuso hangs on and then the rest of the stage can get very tactical.


The hard stage 4 with rain all day also might have affected (some) the riders more negatively.

 

[Netserk]

I didn't quite expect this level of form after Vingegaard's trainer was sacked/left of his own volition, just last month. You'd think there would be some kind of emergency. Now whether it's his new trainer or it doesn't really have anything to do with it, either way he looks back to his best.

Of course we still don't really know what his true level is if he hasn't raced against the benchmark from Slovenia.

this form is not thanks to the last month so i dont think that mattered much either way

 

[Red Rick]

Ayuso will get credit for being on Vingegaards wheel if he ever does it in a race situation.

 

[Peyresourde]

Ayuso will get credit for being on Vingegaards wheel if he ever does it in a race situation.

From the top of my head, he actually did it on the Tourmalet in 2023 when he followed the first attack of Vingegaard (so I give him full hypothetical credit here) and then could not follow the second one. The situation might have played out similarly here.

 

[Unchained]

Cutting the chamois out of bibs/shorts to wear as a second layer isn't new, I guess old is new again. This was a strategy shared with me in the early '90s as a way to keep my stuff warm (er) on cold winter training rides. Doing it in a top level cycling event is probably not too common though...but it will be now.

Most of the time it's uneventful, because bib commitment is made and you just put straps under your jersey. Bibs of any kind, but especially for pros present and issue for nature breaks. If you have to go and don't have either an attached catheter or you are some kind of quick change artist, peeling yourself is a real problem ....pad or no pad. If you have bib straps under your jersey you have get underdressed to get straps down. Today Del Toro took a leak while at @20kph and Pellizzari like a good friend and sportsman, gave the Mexican a gentle push for momentum. Years ago when these leotards became popular, I was resistant because I thought the jersey waistband integration was the same as skinsuits I had previously used for track racing and when you want to pull down your pants, for whatever reason, you have to unzip it and take off top, w sleeves in order to get jersey below " the water line " lets call it.
With modern clothes you can pee off the bike if that's your thing and you don't blast all over your jersey and shorts if you tried to do road events in a skin suit or bibs.. If you have to go in a hurry, bibs are a cautionary tale or you can do underwear on the outside look like Vingegaard..personal choice.