Tour de France 2024: Jonas Vingegaard says Tour 'harder than it's ever been' as four-way showdown looms
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Updated 22/02/2024 at 11:18 GMT
Jonas Vingegaard is aiming to win the Tour de France for a third successive year in 2024, but the Dane is expecting a tougher challenge than ever before. With the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and former team-mate Primoz Roglic for competition, Vingegaard said it will be "harder than it's ever been" to take the yellow jersey home. Vingegaard is back in action this week in Spain.
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Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard believes the Tour de France will be “harder than it’s ever been” to win in 2024 due to a stacked field of contenders.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider has claimed the yellow jersey in each of the last two years, seeing off competition from chief rival Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
But with Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) also eyeing a bid for glory in the most illustrious race of the year, the Dane has no doubts about the challenge ahead.
“For sure the competition will be harder than it’s ever been and for sure it will be harder as well to win it,” Vingegaard told reporters.
“Of course, we just have to look at ourselves and do the best possible preparation, get there in as good as possible shape and then we will hopefully win. And if someone else is stronger, then that’s how it is.”
Vingegaard is in action for the first time this year on Thursday at O Gran Camino in Spain.
It is the first date in the 27-year-old’s diary in a year in which he is aiming to become the first rider since Chris Froome in 2017 to claim three consecutive Tour crowns.
Vingegaard described that objective as his “number one goal of the season” but said he will not commit to the Vuelta a Espana until after the Tour.
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Before then, the first Grand Tour of the season will take place at the Giro d’Italia.
Pogacar will be among the contenders having chosen to pursue a first maglia rosa, but Vingegaard isn’t convinced that his old rival will suffer in France from his efforts in Italy.
“I don’t know about that,” Vingegaard said.
“I expect him to be at his best in the Tour along with Primoz and Remco. It’s going to be a very nice fight there with them, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Roglic was a team-mate of Vingegaard’s until the end of last season when he departed for Bora-Hansgrohe, while Visma-Lease a Bike will be without Wout van Aert at the Tour, with the Belgian riding the Giro instead.
“It’s going to be very different now to race against Primoz, for the last five years we’ve been team-mates, always standing together,” Vingegaard said.
“Now we are on opposite teams, and both just have to fight for the win, so of course that’s a strange feeling.
“For sure I will miss Wout in the Tour, too, we’ve seen in the last three years how important he is. On the other hand, I’m also looking forward to seeing him in the Giro and I will be cheering him on there.”
The Tour de France starts in Florence on June 29 and concludes in Nice on July 21.
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