Jonas Vingegaard has resigned himself to Tadej Pogacar’s overall victory in the Tour de France on Friday. The number two in the general classification does not think he can make up the deficit of more than four minutes.
“Whether I should now secure second place? Yes, I would say so. I think the battle is almost over now,” Vingegaard said on Friday after the last mountain stage, which Thymen Arensman won in heroic fashion, to, among others, the Danish broadcaster TV 2.
Vingegaard had a last serious chance on Friday to keep Pogacar from his fourth overall victory in the Tour, but the Dane from Visma-Lease a Bike, unlike Thursday, made no attempt to crack his rival. “I was going more for the stage victory than for time gain,” Vingegaard acknowledged.
That also failed for Vingegaard. He started the sprint too late to catch up with Arensman. In the end, he fell short by two seconds. “That is of course a shame. I tried to play the game on the last climb.”
Due to his won sprint on Friday at La Plagne, Vingegaard did take two seconds off his deficit to Pogacar in the general classification, but that is still quite large at 4 minutes and 24 seconds. There are two more stages to go in the Tour.
“Tadej has been extremely strong and deserves to win,” Vingegaard said about Pogacar. “Sometimes you just have to accept that someone is better. It is difficult to do anything tomorrow and Sunday in Paris. I prefer to ride a little safer now.”