From “fuck you” to “respect”. The main favorite of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar seems to want to appease things with Jonas Vingegaard, his big rival, despite some friction “in the fire of action” last year.
“I have a lot of respect for Jonas,” said Slovenian Thursday two days before the departure of the 112nd edition in Lille, when he was questioned at a press conference on a passage in season three of the Netflix series devoted to the Tour de France which has just been put online.
We hear her launching a sound “fuck you” to the Danish who refused to collaborate during their common escape with Remco Evenepoel during the white path stage in 2024. “It was not very nice but in the heat of the action, we sometimes say things that we regret after. It happens all the time in the peloton, “said the world champion.
“Our rivalry was very intense”
“There was a lot of tension last year between UAE and Visma (Editor’s note: their respective teams). But there is a lot of respect between us. We give everything on the field but after the stage we hit the hand, “he added. Pogacar and Vingegaard have won two the last five editions of the Tour, and the Slovenian leads 3-2, having imposed in 2020, 2021 and 2024, the Danish in 2022 and 2023.
“Our rivalry was very intense and I expect more or less the same thing this year. He looks in good shape, it will be nice to follow for people in front of their TV and along the road, insisted Pogacar. Jonas is one of the best climbers in the world on long climbs, or even the best. On the time, he was sometimes better than me, sometimes it was me. You have to see how it goes this year. I hope to meet expectations. »»
The Slovenian, who is 26 years old, is wary of the first week which will be “one of the most intense and nervous of the year when you can easily lose the tour” but also sees it as “opportunities” to already illustrate.
