Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) had of course anticipated this question in the hour of triumph. And was well prepared. A US journalist wanted to know whether his performance at the Tour de France could be trusted.
Vingegaard with a clear statement
"We are totally clean. Every one of us. I can speak for the whole team. None of us are taking anything illegal," said the designated winner of the 109th Tour de France and also explained what makes his team Jumbo-Visma better than others. "We are so good because of our preparation. We have further developed altitude training camps. We look at the material, the nutrition, the training. The team is one of the best in these areas. That's why you have to believe us."
The question of the legitimacy of achievements is firmly rooted in the recent history of cycling. All Tour winners in this century have been asked it, sometimes answering in detail, sometimes taciturnly. Or even flippantly, like Vingegaard's team-mate Wout van Aert. "That's such a rubbish question. It comes up every time someone wins the Tour de France. Because we're so good, we have to justify ourselves? I don't understand it," said the Belgian, multiple stage winner and designated winner of the green jersey in this Tour de France.
Vingegaard in the footsteps of Riis
Perhaps Vingegaard understands the question better - if only because of the historical context. The 25-year-old was not yet born when Bjarne Riis became the first Dane to win the Tour in 1996 and set off the boom in the country that Germany experienced a year later with Jan Ullrich. In 2007, Riis finally broke his compatriots' hearts when he confessed to doping with an almost brazen indifference. Vingegaard had discovered his love of cycling that very same year when his father took him to a stage of the Tour of Denmark.
Major doping scandals in Denmark
In comparison with Germany, Denmark has had far more serious doping scandals. There was not only Riis. There was also Michael Rasmussen. Who - it was also in 2007 - was taken out of the race as overall leader of the Tour because he had given false information about his whereabouts in preparation.
And yet the Danes remained loyal to cycling. People have simply always watched the Tour in Denmark in the summer, says a journalist from Vingegaard's home country in the newspaper "Jyllands Posten". It's simply a tradition. In addition, there is a very good association and youth work, many races and good scouting.
Another way than Pogacar
And so a small country like Denmark keeps producing great talents like Vingegaard. However, the lightweight from Jutland does not have the premium gene pool of his great adversary Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) has. "If you look closely, he's come a long way," said Ralph Denk, head of the German team Bora-Hansgrohe.
The Slovenian Pogacar won his first Tour at the age of 21. At the same age, Vingegaard was still working in a fish factory on the west coast in the morning and only got on his bike in the afternoon.
Vingegaard cycles under the radar
Pogacar (23) was already outpacing everyone in the junior races, while Vingegaard tended to cycle under the radar. It was only when Vingegaard's Danish amateur team brought him to the attention of Jumbo-Visma in 2018 and gained access to his training data that his career took off.
At the beginning of the Tour, Vingegaard acted as a double leader with Primoz Roglic, but the Slovenian crashed on the fifth stage and slipped into the helper role. Vingegaard became the leader and outmanoeuvred Pogacar with two big attacks. Firstly, he rode up the Col du Granon in the Alps into the yellow jerseythen secured his triumph in Hautacam in the Pyrenees. The latter is an astonishing parallel to Riis, who also removed the last doubts in the ski resort during his triumph in 1996.
There will be a reception for Vingegaard on Copenhagen's City Hall Square on Wednesday - just as there was for Riis. "I'm really looking forward to the week. It will certainly be very stressful, but also very exciting," said Vingegaard. It is up to him to give credibility to his words regarding doping in the coming years. After all, he will be asked again and again about the clean Tour winner.
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