Despite losing out to Isaac del Toro and Tadej Pogačar on stage 2 of the Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard successfully defended the yellow jersey from the UAE onslaught of the final sprint in Barcelona, even on a finale not suited to his characteristics.
On paper, a Classics-style course and laps up a punchy climb in the blazing heat of the Catalan city were never going to be Vingegaard's forte; he's always been a man for the steepest and longest ascents.
But after some cagey racing on the first two laps, the victory was only really played out with an anaerobic effort in the final 800 metres, when Del Toro scorched around the final corner and surged to the line, with Pogačar looking in complete control, allowing his Mexican teammate to take a maiden Tour win.
Latest Videos From
"I think it ended up being a decent stage, a hard stage, and it's not my favourite kind of climb, so to keep the yellow jersey is something that I'm actually happy with," said Vingegaard in his yellow jersey press conference, with his overall lead cut to just six seconds.
Was he expecting more from himself on the last burst to the line? "No," he said, "I mean, I followed him on the climb, of course, and the last sprint is very anaerobic, and that's not my strength, so to be honest, I can be happy with how it played out."
Visma explained similarly at a packed team bus, with lead DS Marc Reef saying: "I think that it was just a sprint from the corner, and everybody was on the limit. [Jonas] was just on a small gap in the sprint; he's less explosive than the others are.
"We knew that was going to happen, as the first and the second time it stayed together. In the final, we just needed to make sure that Jonas was where he needed to be, and he was there."
Vingegaard was also careful to note how a lack of an attack from Pogačar on any of the three main ascents to Montjuïc meant no one truly got to see where he was, but the same can be said of the Dane when it comes to his form on the longer climbs, where the race will be decided.
Pogačar did look ominous, though, as he was able to decide in the last 500 metres who between him and teammate Del Toro was going to win the day, looking back at Vingegaard several times as he flexed the ease with which he was ascending to the line. The Dane was impressed but in no way surprised that he gifted the stage to the younger Del Toro, his expected heir at UAE Team Emirates.
"Of course, now this time he didn't attack himself on the climb, so I think we didn't really see how strong he is, but also how strong I am, so only time will tell," added Vingegaard.
"Tadej is a great guy, and I think it's very generous of him to give a stage win to a teammate, but also deserved; Del Toro really deserves it, to be honest, he's super talented and very, very strong. It was an impressive ride by them, so congrats."
Vingegaard will likely want to relinquish his lead in the yellow jersey in the coming days to avoid the extra hour or so of media and podium duties that the race leader has to perform, which delays their recovery time in the evening. Both he and the team admitted that, but wouldn't commit to which day would suit that tactical option, knowing full well their rivals could use it to their advantage.
"Of course, at one moment, it might be a good thing," – to give it away – "but for now I will just enjoy it," said Vingegaard.
"That's not really what we think of at this moment," added Reef when asked similarly about giving the jersey away in the coming days, potentially to the breakaway.
"It's just getting Jonas through the stages in a good way. Also, tomorrow it's a 1.5km finish where it is also like 7% – I think that is also something where the GC contenders will battle, and we will see if he's having it or not.
"But that's actually not really the goal, to keep the yellow jersey; it's just important to stay in contention, and that is something we did today."
Vingegaard and Pogačar will likely do battle again in an uphill sprint to Les Angles on Monday, but the third stage will be without spectators in the finale, after forest fires in the area forced the Tour's organisers to ask the public not to come.
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona through to Paris, our experienced team will bring you breaking news, expert insight, and in-depth coverage from every stage as the battle for the yellow jersey plays out. Plus, access the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
