"I still don't know how to be good at these races": Vingegaard starts as the favorite, but even he has doubts

Although many expect that on Sunday, the race of the 2025 European Cycling Championship will be a three-way battle between Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel, the reality for the Danish cyclist is that his performance in one-day races has always been well below what his level as a cyclist could suggest. However, Jonas Vingegaard does not shy away from the challenge and will try to find the key to be able to fight for the victory.

Jonas Vingegaard takes pressure off ahead of the European Championship

Unlike his main rivals in the European Championship, Jonas Vingegaard does not have great performances in one-day races, in fact, if we look at his recent participations in this type of races, his 16th place in Il Lombardia is the most notable, with most participations ending in abandonments.

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Quite the opposite of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel who know well what it is to win in classics, world championships, or Olympics in recent seasons. Jonas Vingegaard is honest about this "I haven't raced many one-day races because I haven't figured out how to do well in them," he explained in a recent interview. In fact, his only victory in a classic, a Drome Race, came just the day after a classic in a type of effort that is more similar to what he is used to in his specialty, stage races.

Even Danish coach Michael Morkov seems to have more confidence in Jonas Vingegaard for Sunday than himself "I don't think he is weak in one-day races. He has done well several times in the early stages of the races he has participated in. He did incredibly well in the Critérium du Dauphiné. It is difficult to argue that that stage was not equivalent to a one-day race. He attacked hard in the final part and in the mass sprint against Van der Poel, he was second. That tells me that he can really do well in a one-day race."

Furthermore, Morkov highlighted how the route perfectly suits Vingegaard and himself, who will be their leaders in the 2025 European Cycling Championship. Despite everything, Vingegaard shakes off the pressure "It's hard to have expectations. I have done two grand tours and right now I don't really know where I am in terms of form," he said a few weeks ago after the end of the Vuelta, indicating that he would continue training to try to stretch that form until the European Championship.