{"id":17546,"date":"2025-07-23T08:31:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T08:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/17546\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T08:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T08:31:13","slug":"jonas-vingegaard-willing-to-lose-tour-de-france-in-order-to-win-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/17546\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonas Vingegaard willing to lose Tour de France in order to win it"},"content":{"rendered":"

“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”><\/p>\n

MALACAUNE, France (Velo) \u2014 Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> proved Tuesday on the Tour de France<\/a>\u2019s most famous climb that he\u2019s willing to risk losing the race to win it.<\/p>\n

By week three of the Tour, race-ragged riders and teams will often settle for what they have instead of risking it all to gain more.<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s thrilling throw-down on the sun-seared flanks of Mont Ventoux revealed that Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike<\/a> will not settle for second place in the 2025 Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nothing to lose. Jonas doesn\u2019t care if he loses more time or if he loses a place on the GC,\u201d Visma\u2019s Sepp Kuss<\/a> told Velo. \u201cIn the end we just want to have fun racing and go for it, and think outside the box when it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important thing is that Jonas feels good and we can do a lot of interesting things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Colorado climber helped lead the \u201cKiller Bees\u201d tactical play that eventually isolated UAE Emirates-XRG Poga\u010dar and opened him up to a string of searing attacks from Vingegaard.<\/p>\n

Vingegaard didn\u2019t gap Poga\u010dar in the sizzler of a stage \u2014 in fact he lost a few more seconds \u2014 but the unrelenting pressure confirmed the team will die by the sword to try to win the yellow jersey.<\/p>\n

Niermann: \u2018Hope or not, we will go for it\u2019
\n\"Vingegaard\"Vingegaard took it to Poga\u010dar on Mont Ventoux. (Photo: Gruber Images)<\/p>\n

No one was high-fiving around the Visma bus, but there was an enthusiastic vibe after Vingegaard took it straight to Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n

There were a few moments when it looked like Vingegaard might have pulled clear if it wasn\u2019t for headwinds on the upper flanks of the Giant of Provence.<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar countered once, and Vingegaard could cover the move, but the Dane lost a few seconds when the Slovenian accelerated out of the final corner.<\/p>\n

\u23f1\ufe0f IT HAPPENED! TADEJ POGACAR AND JONAS VINGEGAARD HAVE SET TODAY A NEW CLIMBING RECORD ON MONT VENTOUX: 54 MIN 30 SEC, 1:20 FASTER THAN IBAN MAYO! Holy Mother of God, they absolutely smashed it.#TDF2025<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YXlgKQwz3j<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are only satisfied when we win or take time on the yellow jersey,\u201d Visma sport manager Grischa Niermann said. \u201cWe look to ourselves and the boys rode a fantastic race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The strong tactic comes despite criticism across this Tour that Visma was pulling too much and inadvertently taking the pressure off Poga\u010dar\u2019s UAE team.<\/p>\n

And instead of just hoping that Poga\u010dar has a bad day or makes a mistake, Visma vows to keep piling it on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gives us hope, but hope or not, we will go for it,\u201d Niermann told Velo.<\/p>\n

Kuss: \u2018We won\u2019t want to end with regrets\u2019
\n\"Kuss\"Kuss looked sharp on Mont Ventoux and applied pressure. (Photo: BERNARD PAPON\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Kuss said Tuesday that Mont Ventoux is just a preview of what the team hopes to do in the Alps to close out this Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know where we will attack, but it\u2019s with a mindset that there\u2019s nothing to lose,\u201d Kuss said. \u201cThat makes it motivating for the rest of us to give it everything. We don\u2019t want to end the Tour with any regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two big mountain stages remain.<\/p>\n

First up is Col de la Loze on Thursday, where Vingegaard cracked Poga\u010dar to secure the 2023 yellow jersey. Then the Alps close out Friday with the short, 130km stage ending atop La Plagne packed with 4,500m of vertical.<\/p>\n

Kuss stepped out of the Visma-Lease a Bike team sounding confident, upbeat, and ready to keep this Tour de France rolling.<\/p>\n

Kuss was a key piece of Visma\u2019s near-perfect tactical display Tuesday that jolted the Tour back to life to start the third and final decisive week of the brutal tug-of-war between Vingegaard and Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to set a good pace on the bottom on the steep part and do some damage there,\u201d Kuss told Velo. \u201cJonas tried a few times to get some separation, but when you get on that upper part with that wind it\u2019s more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than racing for second, Vingegaard is willing to risk everything to try to crack Poga\u010dar.<\/p>\n

Few riders are willing to do that.<\/p>\n