Vingegaard: “Just because Pogacar said I’m not the favorite”

the danish Jonas Vingegaard He begins the defense of the Tour de France he won last year with confidence, although he rejects the favorite mark placed on him by his main rival, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, and ensures that will be determined by the road .

“It doesn’t matter if he says who is the favoriteWhat matters is who is in the best form, we will make good marks. It doesn’t matter what others say, it matters how you respond. I can also say that he is the favorite,” said the Jumbo cyclist two days before the start of the event in Bilbao.

The Dane knows that with a rival like Pogacar you don’t have to trust yourself for a moment and that’s why he said that attacks are expected from the first stage, as happened in the last edition.

“I expect that he will attack, like last year, I have to be ready, do everything I can,” he said.

Vingegaard recognized that the strategy was different from the previous edition, when Pogacar defended the title and had to take it away from him.

“I didn’t just feel like they were going to chase me, I’m also a hunter. It’s a different way, but although winning the Tour is something wonderful, I haven’t changed,” said the Danish rider, stressing that 2023 is a very mountainous course and that the last two weeks will be decisive.

The Dane made sure he had better prepared himself to tackle the small climbs, where in the last edition he let a few seconds slip away.

The winner of the last Dauphiné, Vingegaard ensured that he was in the perfect moment to face the defense of the title.

“I feel ready, in good shape, where I wanted to be. It’s time to see if enough has been enough. I focus on myself, on training and being the best possible, what to do to improve as a runner. In the last two months I only thought about nutrition and training to get to the Tour in the best shape. I am where I wanted to be, I am satisfied with my physical form”, he commented.