MEN | JONAS VINGEGAARD ask yourself , “ Well , what should I do now ?” So I tried to make the most of being with my friends , my family , of life really , enjoying myself with those who are most precious to me . I ’ ve never really wanted to be extravagant or to have any kind of attention focused on me . That ’ s not me at all .
Do you consider yourself a shy person ? I certainly used to be , but I think I ’ m better now .
In what way do you think your status has changed since your victory last year ? I sometimes feel that everyone has a bit of an opinion now on what I should or shouldn ’ t do . But that ’ s something I don ’ t care about . The only thing I do care about is the opinion of the people at Jumbo-Visma , my team .
When does a rider realise that he ’ s got the potential to win the Tour de France , the world ’ s greatest race ? The Mont Ventoux stage of the 2021 Tour was a real turning point for me . I realised that day that I was capable of a very high level of performance in the mountains . It was the very first time I managed to get the better of Tadej Pogačar on a big climb [ he attacked on the second ascent of Mont Ventoux and distanced the Slovenian before being caught on the descent ]. It gave me a lot of confidence in my ability and also gave me some hope for the rest of my career .
By winning the Tour , you achieved your Jumbo- Visma team ’ s highest ambition . How important was the team in your success ? In cycling , I don ’ t think it ’ s possible to win without a team , it ’ s a collective sport . The fifth stage of the last Tour de France offered what ’ s undoubtedly the most obvious illustration of this . If I hadn ’ t had my teammates around me that day on the cobbles , I ’ m convinced that I would have lost four or five minutes at the finish in Arenberg Porte du Hainaut and that I wouldn ’ t have ended up on the top step of the podium in Paris . I made a lot of mistakes that day but my teammates got me out of a very bad situation by showing me how much they were all ready to sacrifice
“ I ’ ve never really wanted to be extravagant or to have any kind of attention focused on me . That ’ s not me at all ”
themselves for me . The 11th stage , which ended on the slopes of the Col du Granon , was another great demonstration of this .
Your teammate Primož Roglič won ’ t be racing alongside you at the Tour this year . Will this change your approach to July ’ s big event ? It obviously won ’ t be the same with him not being there . In 2022 , we went into the mountains with two leaders . This summer I ’ ll be the only one . Primož Roglič has always been very important to me , both on and off the bike . He has incredible calmness and took me under his wing very quickly when I joined the team . He taught me a lot of things , he ’ s a real mentor . I know that if I need him , I can always call him during the next Tour .
Have you already picked out some key stages on the 2023 Tour route ? The route is , on the whole , quite difficult and that really inspires me . I think climbs like the Grand Colombier and the Col de la Loze should suit me , as should the time trial between Passy and Combloux .
It ’ s often said that you have to be even stronger to win a second Tour de France than you were to win the first . How do you feel about this challenge ? It ’ ll be different , that ’ s for sure . But I don ’ t see it as an extra pressure , on the contrary . If my career were to end tomorrow , I ’ ll always be able to say that I ’ ve won the world ’ s greatest race , that the Tour de France is on my palmarès . Even though I ’ ve got to continue working very hard every day in training , this brings a kind of serenity . I ’ ve got the feeling that I ’ m more relaxed . ●
I REALLY WON THE TOUR ”
And the 26-year-old Dane is determined to prove that this power grab was no blip . INTERVIEW BY QUENTIN FINNÉ
Victorious in Paris ; and ( left ) with Pogačar and Van Aert on the Champs-Élysées .