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Vingegaard finished third on Stage 20 but maintained his 7’29” advantage over Tadej Pogacar to effectively seal his second overall title ahead of the final stage to Paris.
What began as an incredibly tight tussle in the general classification quickly became a no-contest once Pogacar collapsed on the Col de la Loze, barely a day removed from Vingegaard’s statement in the time trial.
In just two days, a 10-second gap had become more than seven minutes and 30 seconds – a patient but perfect approach from Jumbo-Visma in the final week, but one not all cycling enthusiasts understood.
“We have our plan and if we say how to crack him, he will be able to prevent it,” Vingegaard said.
“We knew my strengths and we knew how to get the best out of my strengths.
“I think not everyone understood our plan every day, but we understood it ourselves. In the end, it paid off.”
A sound defeat to the Slovenian at this year’s Paris-Nice had many believing Vingegaard would surrender his crown at the French Grand Tour, perhaps unable to deal with the pressure of being the defending champion.
That was never an issue, according to the 26-year-old, who admitted he became a more composed rider after finishing a surprising second behind Pogacar at his Tour debut in 2021.
“As I have said many times before, I didn’t have any problems last year,” Vingegaard said from the press tent.
“I just chose to take it really easy and relax. I wasn’t having any problems at all. It wasn’t hard for me, so I assume it will be the same this year.”
“Two years ago, it was my first Tour de France, and it was the first year where I started to deliver results,” he added.
“It’s not that I was not a good bike rider before, but before I wasn’t able to handle the pressure, which I mostly put on myself.
“I learned to handle this. From that moment, I started getting on podiums and I started winning. Then you get more confidence within yourself and with the media.”
It’s been a rapid rise to stardom for the Dane, who used to spend his mornings in the fish factory and only took up cycling after being told he was too small to play football.
However, through it all he has remained his quiet and steady self, only now with the sport’s most famous jersey on his back yet again and with every chance of adding more to his collection.
“I also have different goals, but the Tour de France is the biggest race in the world,” Vingegaard said.
“For me, the Tour de France is just something special and I’ll probably try to win it again next year.”
