Special envoys to the Markstein
His yellow jersey had the shine of success. In the marquee reserved for the press conference, the Dane is enthroned on the platform. A little more talkative than usual. Not far from him, sitting wisely, his head elsewhere, Tadej Pogacar (winner of the 20th stage at Markstein) is waiting for his turn. He marked the event with his courage and panache, but he had to be content to stay in the shadow of the Dane (at 7’29”) who scored a resounding double. Vingegaard has won his bet. It will be, this Sunday, in yellow for the last stage. The parade of the second coronation.
“I am very, very happy to win this second Tour de France. It was the big goal of the year and with such a result it’s simply brilliant. I really have to thank my team from the bottom of my heart. They did an amazing job. We had a plan every day and we executed it. My teammates were great. It’s great to be able to finish this Tour de France in this way.
“I have more confidence this year. And we had more confidence in ourselves, whether it was the team or myself. We knew our strengths this year and we knew how to really get the most out of it. I don’t think everyone understood our plan every day but we understood it. You can see it paid off. An anti-Pogacar plan? We had our plan and sometimes if I have to explain to you how we worked, he will see the information to thwart our plans so if you really want to know the plan talk to me as sports director and he will accept on behalf of revealing it to you. »
“I have other goals in life but the Tour de France is the biggest race in the world. It’s still a special race so it’s too early to tell. But for me the Tour de France is something special. I will try to win it again next year, probably. »
“Last year I was sick and injured in the spring. This year I didn’t have any problems, that’s a big difference. I only progressed and improved, but it’s not as if I had gained 20% over one year. I’m a bit stronger but not much stronger than last year. »
“We all have to make a lot of sacrifices. This year I will not see my family for more than 150 days. It’s a lot of sacrifice just to win races and in a way when you do that it gives you more confidence too. If I follow the nutritional rules and the others, I know that I will be at the top level and that motivates me. »
“Two years ago it was my first Tour de France. It was the first year I had results. It wasn’t that I was bad before but before it was hard for me to handle the pressure. A pressure that I often inflict on myself. I learned to manage my own pressure. When I managed to control myself I succeeded I started to win and make podiums and that’s when you gain more and more confidence. Everything falls into place. Also with the media. »
“Yes, it’s good for the cyclist to have this kind of rivalry. This year there is a big fight with Tadej it was really hard to break him and with a bit of luck I win and I’m very happy. »
“I don’t know what the other teams are doing to be honest, but I know what we are doing and we are doing everything in detail, almost to perfection. We always try to progress and we are always looking for details. »
“I said it, I didn’t have a problem last year. I just chose to be calmer, a little more relaxed. But I didn’t have any particular problem last year. After a week, I felt great. I guess it will be the same but have to this year with the Tour. It’s going to take me some time to step back and land. »
“He called me and called my wife when I crossed the finish line. He congratulated me, he followed the race and he was really impressed with my handling of things and he is very happy. »