For its 109th edition, the Tour de France will start this Friday from Copenhagen. With a start at home, Jonas Vingegaard could well feel growing wings. Moreover, during the presentation of the teams on Wednesday June 28, in the Danish capital, to the applause meter, the 25-year-old runner was largely the most acclaimed. He will undeniably be one of the headliners of this Grande Boucle 2022. After his convincing second place in the general classification, last year, just behind Tadej Pogacar, the Dane has changed in dimension. It remains to be seen whether he will have the shoulders strong enough to look better this season.
Going from 331st place in the world to the Top 20 of the UCI ranking in the space of a few months, Vingegaard arrives with certainties. He wears the colors of a team, the Jumbo-Visma, presented as a veritable armada. He will notably be the teammate of Primoz Roglic, another candidate for the title this year. A delicate status to manage according to Alexandre Bardin, columnist for Le Grupetto interviewed by Le Point: “The problem he has to solve is doubly Slovenian. His teammate Roglic has more references than him, and Tadej Pogacar was simply superior at the start of the season and on the last Tour. I see him as the No. 3 favourite, backed by a strong team across the board. »
�� What a welcome for Jonas Vingegaard! ���� �� The Danish rider of the Jumbo-Visma is cheered by the whole crowd of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen! Van Aert and Roglic’s teammate is moved to tears ��
An opinion shared by Benji Naesen, Belgian cycling specialist and creator of the Lanterne Rouge CP podcast. “I think Jumbo will try to keep his two runners in the lead and apply a two-leader strategy. It would be illogical to burn Jonas Vingegaard from the start. I think he could lose a minute or two in the first week on some favorites, but it’s still a nice position for him. He can be aggressive and put Tadej Pogacar in a position where he has to react. This year, the Dane finished second in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he also won a stage.
All that’s missing is a consecration in a major competition, after having already shone during his first and only participation in the Tour in 2021. Benji Naesen outlines the strengths of the 25-year-old rider: “Jonas Vingegaard showed last year on Mont Ventoux that long climbs after a slightly more difficult stage seem to be beneficial to him compared to Pogacar. I think he would have more chances in a Tour de France with hills to climb in 40 to 60 minutes. Pogacar is better at shorter distances. Finally, he seems to handle the heat quite well, an area where his Slovenian rival has shown some weaknesses in the past. »
