Vingegaard: “Winning Itzulia is special, which will be the start of the Tour”

the danish Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma), winner of Itzulia 2023 He was “especially happy” for a victory in a race in which he felt “very fond”, where I spent a “fantastic week in the middle of a fantastic environment”.

“The victory in Itzulia is special because it is a special race, which I like. I came in 2019 and 2021, and today I had a fantastic week, with a great job,” Vingegaard said after his win at Eibar.

The winner of the 2022 Tour pointed out that for his final victory “the best defense is a good attack”, for this reason he attacked for 27 km to stay alone at the front “and give everything until end”.

Vingegaard considers it “unusual to win overall and three stages in a World Tour race”, a fact that adds value to the victory obtained in Itzulia.

The Nordic cyclist pointed to the start of the Tour de France in Bilbao on July 1.”If winning in Itzulia is special, so is starting the Tour in Euskadi. The Basque fans are among the best in the world and I have only words of thanks to their fans”, he pointed out.

In the rivalry expected in the Tour de France with the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, the Itzulia winner recalled that “there will be more rivals to consider”. “The expectation for the confrontation between me and Pogacar is normal, We were the last winners, but I don’t forget the others. There are many more runners to fight. We are both big, but there will be more opponents”, he stressed.

Vingegaard clarified that “the pressure of seeing myself as a favorite is something that I try to manage well”, but it is clear to him that his priority is his family. “Pressure is something I deal with naturally, it’s a factor that doesn’t bother me.”