Ahead of the stage, Riis had warned Vingegaard against poking the bear on stage 10, and admits that was probably the wise move. “Many fans were likely disappointed that Jonas didn’t attempt an attack of his own. And perhaps, in hindsight, staying put was the wiser option. It didn’t look pretty, but it may have been the smart move – avoiding the risk of a counter-attack from Pogacar if he’d launched and been reeled in,” he explains. “Still, I’m left puzzled by one thing.”
You see, whilst Riis was concerned about Vingegaard being countered pre-stage, the Dane believes if his compatriot is really feeling as good as he says he is, this was a big chance missed. “After the stage, Jonas could hardly contain himself, saying he was feeling ‘insanely strong’. To me, that rings a little hollow when he didn’t make a single attempt to put Pogacar under pressure,” says Riis. “You simply can’t claim to be flying and then not attack. In my view, that’s a mistake. It also falls a bit flat when, as Team Visma | Lease a Bike did, you hype up the stage as wild and spectacular – only for absolutely nothing to happen in the end.”
“Frankly, I’m disappointed to hear Jonas talk about how strong he’s feeling without backing it up with action. He needs to believe he can survive a counter-attack from Pogacar. But right now, it doesn’t look like he dares to test it,” he continues. “Just the other day, I explained how Jonas needs to take risks – that he must be willing to lose seconds in pursuit of gaining minutes. Maybe he would have lost 10 seconds trying to attack Pogacar – but at least he would have forced him to dig deep.”
“Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying it was a mistake for Jonas not to attack. It only becomes a mistake when he then claims he was feeling fantastic. From where I’m sitting, Vingegaard simply doesn’t have much of a choice at the moment. As long as Pogacar is in this kind of form, there’s no beating him,” Riis clarifies. “The only logical explanation I can see for Jonas not attacking is that he didn’t want to expose himself – and it does make sense to conserve energy. He’s clearly betting on being able to make a difference in the final week. That’s a valid strategy, and we’ll just have to be patient back home in our living rooms.”