Vingegaard should benefit from this year’s many climbing stages as safety concerns linger after Gino Mäder’s death
In one of the hardest editions of the race in recent years, Jonas Vingegaard – once so puny that he shirked tackles in schoolboy football – lines up in Bilbao on Saturday to defend his Tour de France title as a more complete and confident rider.
Buoyed by recent wins in major races such as the Tour of the Basque Country and the Critérium du Dauphiné, Vingegaard goes into this year’s Tour with a new authority and a lot more confidence than in 2022, when the Dane’s undoubted climbing abilities had to be drawn out of him by his team.
More Stories
Championship roundup: Coventry rally to stun Luton, Bristol City hold Leeds
Eddie Howe faces watershed week with Newcastle’s progress stalling | Louise Taylor
Dodgers stun Yankees as a World Series for the ages begins in Hollywood