Cycling: “Thanks to the whole of Denmark”: Vingegaard’s second tour coup

Jonas Vingegaard hugged wife Trine and then enjoyed his second Tour de France triumph with daughter Frida in his arms.

In the shadow of the triumphal arch, the 26-year-old made the next coup and wrote cycling history as the first two-time Tour winner from Denmark. “It’s a feeling of being proud and happy. To see all the people from Denmark here is just incredible. Thanks to my team, to my family and also thanks to all of Denmark,” said Vingegaard.

“Really enjoyed that”

Vingegaard was able to relax with just one lap to go. Due to the onset of rain, the race jury took the time before the sprint finale on the Champs-Élysées. Vingegaard rolled jubilantly alongside his teammates across the finish line, in the final count 7:29 minutes separated him from his second-placed Slovenian rival Tadej Pogacar. “It was just a super tough race. I really enjoyed it,” said Vingegaard. “I hope to get the third win next year. I’ll try.”

Jordi Meeus also gave the German Bora team a perfect Paris party. The Belgian surprisingly won Sunday’s final stage, inflicting the first loss in a bunch sprint on second-placed compatriot Jasper Philipsen. “We didn’t expect the win at all today,” said Bora team boss Ralph Denk on ARD. “That Jordi Meeus wins here as an unknown sprinter – huge success for us, great.”

Crown Prince “was very happy”

All eyes were on Vingegaard in overcast Paris. Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen personally congratulated at the award ceremony, Crown Prince Frederik had already done so by telephone the evening before. He said “that he finds it very impressive that I won the tour twice in a row. He was very happy,” reveals Vingegaard.

While the small neighbor Denmark again celebrated a red and white party, there is at most an almost celebration in Germany. Phil Bauhaus almost won a stage. Georg Zimmermann almost succeeded in doing the same. Bora captain Jai Hindley almost finished on the podium, in the end he was seventh. Team Bora can look back on a day in the yellow jersey and two stage wins. It wasn’t a bad tour for the German pros either, especially with the bright spots Bauhaus, Zimmermann and the resurgent Emanuel Buchmann. But on the credit side, like last year, there is no stage win.

Vingegaard got it on Tuesday with the time trial of his life and laid the foundation for the overall victory. Doubts arose reflexively, the past of cycling is omnipresent. He can understand the skeptics, said Vingegaard. He even welcomes it when his performance is questioned. But he doesn’t take anything that he wouldn’t give to his daughter Frida. A day later, Pogacar experienced the slump of his life, losing nearly six minutes to the Dane. “I cracked myself. Nobody else. It was myself,” said Pogacar.

“Getting a little better every year”

The two rivals are now tied, each with two Tour wins under their belt. But Vingegaard has the momentum. Last year he had distanced Pogacar by 2:43 minutes, this year things were clearer. While Pogacar’s preparation was hampered by a fractured scaphoid, Vingegaard was perfect. Neither illnesses nor injuries slowed down the Dane.

“I’m getting a little better every year. It’s not like I’m 20 percent better in a year. It’s always small steps,” said Vingegaard. This year he’s been working on his explosiveness, which was definitely showing. It was also a mental struggle for the 1.75 meter tall man from the Danish North Sea to become the winner: “Two years ago I only started delivering results. Before that I couldn’t handle the pressure I put on myself. I learned to deal with it.”

However, what he still doesn’t quite like is the spotlight. He will be in that again when he returns to Denmark. On Wednesday he will be given another big reception in Copenhagen. From the airport he drives in a convertible to the town hall square, where tens of thousands received him last year. A day later we continue to Glingøre. Incidentally, they were so sure of victory there that they began planning the reception in January.