Everyone is getting tired as the Tour goes on, and the sass is becoming a bit more frequent in the post-race interviews. After Stage 15, Tadej Pogačar once again questioned Visma – Lease a Bike’s tactics after its GC rider was caught behind a crash.
“There was a moment when many GC riders – including Jonas Vingegaard – were behind. While there were three Visma riders in the front. Tim Wellens and I tried to calm things down. So that Jonas and the other GC riders could return. But suddenly Wout van Aert took off, followed by Victor Campenaerts and Matteo Jorgenson,” the world champion said as reported by Wielerflits. “I didn’t really know what to think. I just joined them, so that the three of them couldn’t ride away. Maybe I helped Jonas with that? I truly thought it was a strange situation.”
Van Aert disagreed. He said that the maillot jaune who did the wrong thing.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t bother me and neither does anyone in the group. At least, I don’t have that feeling. But it’s quite funny that Tadej says it,” Van Aert said after the race. “It was also super clear that UAE Emirates XRG wanted Tim Wellens in the breakaway. They did exactly the same. And when I look back on that situation with Jonas’s crash, I think the solution would have been really simple.”
Wout van Aert said the team had committed to trying to make the day’s break. The Belgian dismissed the idea that there was anything underhanded about their tactics. From his perspective, if Pogačar had dropped back to Jonas Vingegaard’s group, it would have shown real sportsmanship. But instead, the Slovenian was complaining about a situation that, in Van Aert’s eyes, didn’t exist. As he saw it, everyone up front was racing for the stage win, which he considered completely normal.
Still, Pogi wonders if there might be a bit of a rift within the squad. He even suggested that perhaps Vingegaard isn’t happy there. “I don’t know, you know. But if it were me in Jonas’s situation, I wouldn’t be happy at the dinner table tonight. Because I still think he can win the Tour. He is second in the overall and showed on Saturday that he is in super good shape. I understand that Visma wants to win stages, but they can also win the GC in the Tour. I don’t know. But I wouldn’t be the happiest,” he said.
Former Tour de France winner (kinda) Bjarne Riis, and fellow countryman of Vingegaard, echoed Pogačar’s statement. “I may continue to support Visma, but I will eventually stop that,” he said in Danish outlet BT. “Their racing style is totally hopeless. I don’t understand it at all. After Sunday’s stage, you have to wonder whether Jonas should look for another team. They obviously don’t see him as a priority. That’s disappointing to see.”
Monday is a rest day, and the lads in France will need it. The action picks up Tuesday, finishing on the legendary Mont Ventoux.