His words were harsh, especially given Vingegaard’s track
record. The Dane claimed back-to-back Tour titles in 2022 and 2023, only losing
out to Tadej Pogacar in 2024 after a build up disrupted by injury. Without
Vingegaard in the mix, Pogacar could well have been chasing a sixth consecutive
yellow jersey this summer.
Smeets went even further, questioning the significance of
nearly the entire Tour peloton. “There are 176 starting this year. That
means that 170 men have absolutely no business being there. Just riding along
and bringing a little water.”