Tadej Pogačar once again questioned the tactics of Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutch team kept attacking in the opening stage of stage fifteen, despite their leader Jonas Vingegaard falling behind. The Slovenian said he would be angry at the dinner table in that case. “I find it funny that Tadej says that, because they did exactly the same thing," laughs Wout van Aert during the Visma | Lease a Bike press conference on the second rest day.
Pogačar’s reaction after stage fifteen
“There was a moment when many GC contenders – including Jonas – were trailing,” he recalls. “While there were three Visma riders at the front. Tim and I tried to calm things down so Jonas and the other GC contenders could come back, but suddenly Wout van Aert took off, followed by Victor Campenaerts and Matteo Jorgenson. I didn’t know what to make of it. I just joined them so they wouldn’t slip away as a trio. Maybe I helped Jonas with that? I found it a strange situation.”
Pogačar also believes that Vingegaard is not happy with the situation. “I don’t know. But if I were in Jonas’s shoes, I wouldn’t be the happiest at dinner tonight. Because I still think he can win the Tour. He’s second in the GC and showed on Saturday that he's in super good shape. I understand that they want to win stages, but they can still win the overall Tour. I don’t know. But I wouldn’t be the happiest.”
The comments from the yellow jersey wearer don’t bother Van Aert, but he took the opportunity to respond anyway. “Luckily, I’m not bothered by it, and neither is anyone else in the group. At least, that’s how I feel. But it’s quite funny that Tadej says it. It was also very clear that UAE Emirates XRG really wanted Tim Wellens in the breakaway. They did exactly the same thing. And looking back at that situation with Jonas’s crash, I think the solution would have been really simple.”
“With 25 riders, we were trying to get into the day’s break,” points out the Belgian leader of Visma | Lease a Bike. “If Tadej had just dropped back into the group where Jonas was, that would have been truly sporting.” Now he complains about something that didn’t exist. We simply wanted to race for the stage win. Everyone who was in that group at that moment was there to be part of the breakaway. In my opinion, that’s perfectly normal.”
Van Aert finished fourth in Carcassonne, just behind Julian Alaphilippe who thought he had won - photo: Cor Vos
Team director Grischa Niermann – also Head of Racing – earlier stated that he made the decision for the chosen tactics in that phase of the race. He takes full responsibility for it, but points out that he read the situation well. According to him, Vingegaard would have easily returned to the group with Pogačar, even on his own. And so it happened. Ultimately, Visma | Lease a Bike had Van Aert and Victor Campenaerts in the day’s break. The stage was won by Wellens.
Problems with Jorgenson?
We wondered what Matteo Jorgenson had done wrong against Pogačar and/or UAE Emirates. The Slovenian repeatedly jumped on the wheel of the American in the early phase, who was also trying to be in the break on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike. “I noticed that too,” laughs Van Aert. “Maybe Tadej didn’t realize that Matteo had already lost half an hour the day before. That could very well be. Maybe someone should tell him that. Do we have a blacklist? Luckily not. That wouldn’t work well.”
