Vingeegard and Pogacar start the season tied in victories

First competition of the season for both Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar and both were able to excel in Volta ao Algarve and UAE Tour respectively to start 2025 in the same way they started last year, that is, with victory although, yes, both faithful to their style: more sober and restrained the Danish, exuding power the Slovenian.

Jonas Vingegaard prevents UAE Team Emirates-XRG from winning all stages

Last week was full of races with the recently concluded Volta ao Algarve, UAE Tour, and Vuelta a Andalucía where we all had the curiosity to see how both Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard started their respective campaigns. The result was as expected but with both leaving very different impressions that, on the other hand, fit each one's style.

In UAE Tour, after a first time trial where he could only manage third place, Tadej Pogacar began to mark his territory from the first uphill finish at Jebel Jais, in a sprint finish of a reduced group where he perfectly controlled the tempo to win without opposition. Not content with that, the next day he allowed himself to attack at the start of a completely flat stage in a purely mischievous move. "It was just for fun," the Slovenian admitted.

RECOMENDADO

Jolanda Neff and Lars Forster fly through the mud of Banyoles

How to watch the Shimano Supercup Massi Banyoles 2025

Can radio and earpiece be used in MTB races?

Complete guide to Classics and Monuments 2025: dates and schedules

The new Pidcock's SCOTT bikes for 2025 in detail: "The Addict RC has impressed me"

New Fizik road shoes in sight

In the last and decisive stage, with a finish at Jebel Hafeet, Pogacar arrived at the foot of the climb without many of his teammates after a start marked by echelons. It was not a problem as, when his last man pulled aside, Tadej Pogacar launched an attack 8 km from the finish that none of his rivals could respond to despite the perseverance of Giulio Ciccone and Oscar Onley.

On the other hand, Jonas Vingegaard raised more doubts in the Volta ao Algarve. In the first uphill finish at Foia, he was surprised by an unrecognizable Joao Almeida who, after a late attack, gained a good handful of seconds that allowed the Portuguese to take the lead. However, in the time trial on the last day, the Danish rider did not allow himself to speculate and offered a tremendous exhibition in an atypical time trial with a flat first part and a final on the extremely steep ramps of Alto de Malhao where he even managed to beat the already notable record of a Wout van Aert accustomed to second place.

A victory that prevented the UAE Team Emirates-XRG from winning all races last week since, in addition to Tadej Pogacar's victory in UAE Tour, Pavel Sivakov's victory in Vuelta a Andalucía was added.

From here, the approach of Vingegaard and Pogacar towards the Tour de France differs radically. On one hand, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider will focus on the classics, starting next day 8 with the Strade Bianche where he could offer another wild exhibition like last year and will be followed by Milan-San Remo, one of the races that Tadej Pogacar still has pending; Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

At least that is what is in the official program of the Slovenian who dodges questions about Paris-Roubaix, "I can't talk about that right now," although everything points, after the reconnaissances of the cobbled sectors he did a couple of weeks ago, that he could take part in the Hell of the North if the sensations in Flanders are good.

As for Jonas Vingegaard, the Danish rider will follow a more classic approach calendar to the Tour de France, with participation in Paris-Nice and Volta a Catalunya before fully focusing on training. Therefore, both cyclists will not coincide in competition until the Criterium du Dauphiné, which both have in their race program.

Despite any doubts that Vingegaard's performance in Algarve may have raised, Tadej Pogacar is clear, "I think he will be in top form at the Tour and in the rest of the races we will see him perform well. I think he will take them as preparation and will definitely fly at the Tour de France."