Jonas Vingegaard has proclaimed rival Tadej Pogacar as the greatest cyclist of all time.

The Dane was tipped to go toe-to-toe with Pogacar in July’s Tour de France, but the latter dominated, claiming a whopping 4’24” victory in the final general classification to cement himself as his generation’s greatest rider. 

Indeed, the Slovenian has won the past two Tours by a combined 10 minutes.

Vingegaard is the only rider to have beaten Pogacar at the Tour de France, taking titles in 2022 and 2023, however his status as the 26-year-old’s only real Grand Tour rival has been questioned since a lung injury suffered in a harrowing crash last year. 

Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of La Vuelta in a quickfire quiz, Vingegaard claimed that Pogacar is the greatest rider in history.

Pogacar decided to forego the chance to claim a Tour-Vuelta double, instead focusing his attention on September’s World Championships in Rwanda.

Vingegaard has conceded that while the 26-year-old’s absence will likely benefit him, winning a Grand Tour while beating the Slovenian would be even better. 

“It’s always nice to race against Tadej on one hand, but also on the other hand, it’s also nice to race where he’s not sometimes,” said Vingegaard before the race.

“Of course, you want to win no matter if he’s there or not. But, of course, it makes it nicer to win when he’s in the race as well.”

When asked if he was feeling the pressure to win in Pogacar’s absence, the 28-year-old added: “No, to be honest, I don’t feel like there’s more pressure. Because I think if you see it, the Tour de France is the race with the most media, the most everything, where there’s actually the most pressure.

“So compared to the Tour de France and what I’ve experienced there, it doesn’t really feel like there’s more pressure. Of course, I’m one of the big favourites here, so there is some pressure, but I’m just happy to be here and to go for the win.

“I came here to win the Vuelta – that’s pretty clear. That’s going to be my goal, of course, there can be different scenarios, but my goal and the team’s goal is to win the Vuelta. If I do that, then it will be a success.”

This year’s Vuelta began in Italy’s Piedmont region, and will feature summit finishes through the Spanish Pyrenees and the Cantabrian and Basque mountains.

The climb up to the Alto de Angliru and in the penultimate stage at the Bola del Mundo will likely suit Vingegaard.

Watch every stage of La Vuelta live on TNT Sports and discovery+.