The day before the start of the Tour de France, two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) confirmed that he is in "the best shape of his life," signaling that he is ready to challenge the defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).
"I can definitely say that I am stronger than ever before," Vingegaard confirmed. "I was also in very good shape at the Tour de France last year, but it was completely different – I had less muscle, I was much lighter. I am heavier now, but it is muscle and we know that it also gives more strength. I can say that I am in the best shape of my life. We will see if it is enough or not."
Vingegaard's physical changes began to occur after a long recovery process to return to the level he was at before a terrible crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in March last year. Although the 28-year-old Dane crashed again this season, suffering a concussion at Paris-Nice, his preparation has been much more successful.
"Obviously, there is a big difference compared to last year when I came back from a terrible crash," said Vingegaard. "Honestly, it took me much longer than I thought – only in the last few months have I felt that my body is back to the same state as before the accident. It has taken almost a year to get back to my previous level. When you are in bed for two weeks after a crash, you lose a lot of muscle. We tried to get it back and succeeded," he added.
Visma's sports director Grischa Niermann added that Vingegaard's approach to the Tour in 2025 and his new peak form give confidence in defeating Pogačar.
"If we were sitting here saying Tadej is unbeatable, we might as well go home right now," Niermann said bluntly. "We believe Jonas is in the best shape of his life – and that's what it takes to beat him. What gives hope is that Jonas said last year's preparation was completely non-ideal – and he was still very good. This year, at least, everything has gone well in recent months – we are here, ready with the full squad, and we will give our all."
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— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) July 4, 2025
Press duties this morning! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/blrZTIp6WV
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— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) July 4, 2025
One more sleep... 🥹
Follow the final preparations in our liveblog!
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— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) July 4, 2025
Ready to give everything. 💥
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