Although Tadej Pogačar won Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège this spring, Richard Plugge believes his protégé Jonas Vingegaard has the advantage in the Tour de France. "You could perhaps say that Pogačar is better on routes like the Tour of Flanders, but this is a three-week race. And in our opinion, Jonas is better at dealing with this accumulation of fatigue and so on," Plugge told WielerFlits. Vingegaard, who won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, will be aiming for his third overall victory this year. The 28-year-old Dane and his Slovenian rival Pogačar have split the last five editions of the Tour of France between them.
Jonas Vingegaard & Tadej Pogačar meet at the Critérium du Dauphine
Both Vingegaard and Pogačar are currently intensifying their preparations for the Tour de France. Both riders recently completed separate training camps in the Spanish Sierra Nevada. Their return to racing is planned for 8 June, when they will line up at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where they will also meet last year's Tour bronze medallist Remco Evenepoel. This race traditionally serves as an important test of form before the Tour de France. The 2025 season so far has gone differently for the two top favourites. While Pogačar has dominated with seven victories in 14 days of racing, including wins at the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Vingegaard has completed a reduced programme. The Dane won the Volta ao Algarve, but had to abandon Paris-Nice prematurely after a crash and the resulting concussion.
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Plugge conceded that Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates - XRG have made progress since the 2023 Tour de France. At the same time, however, he emphasised the further development of his own team: "Due to the circumstances, Jonas was simply less strong in the last week last year. I do think that UAE Team Emirates - XRG has made progress after the time trial to Combloux at the 2023 Tour. But so have we. And above all, we're looking at ourselves and how we can improve our performance. Compared to last year, we have taken another big step in this respect." He was confident about the upcoming tour: "Jonas has also made progress again. I have no reason not to believe that we can fight for yellow again."
