The Tour de France has always been defined by its great rivalries. What Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have produced since 2021 is the most compelling two-man contest the race has seen in a generation — fought on the highest mountain roads in Europe, at intensities that have repeatedly broken the boundaries of what professional road racing looks like.
2020: Pogačar Announces Himself
It started in 2020, but not between them. Pogačar announced himself at that year's Tour in the most dramatic way possible. He trailed Primož Roglič by 57 seconds heading into Stage 20 — a 36.2 km individual time trial finishing at La Planche des Belles Filles. He took 1 minute 56 seconds out of Roglič on the day and won the Tour overall by 59 seconds. He was 21 years old. Vingegaard was not yet part of this story.
2021: Dominance Without a Challenger
By 2021, Pogačar was dominant. He won three stages, finished with a 5 minute 20 second margin over second place — held by Vingegaard, then a relative unknown who had been a domestique — and left Paris without a serious challenger. Vingegaard's presence on the podium in 2021 was the first sign of what was coming, but nobody knew how quickly it would arrive.
2022: The Rivalry Begins
2022 was where the rivalry truly began. On Stage 11 to the Col du Granon, Vingegaard attacked and Pogačar cracked — visibly, dramatically, and for the first time at the Tour. Vingegaard took 2 minutes 51 seconds on that stage alone. He went on to win the 2022 Tour by 2 minutes 43 seconds over Pogačar, with Geraint Thomas third. The race had a new contender, and Jumbo-Visma had found their leader.
2023: The Most Intense Edition
2023 brought the most intense edition either man has contested. Two stages in the Alps produced decisive results. On Stage 16 — a 22.4 km individual time trial to Combloux — Vingegaard put 1 minute 38 seconds into Pogačar. The following day, Stage 17 over the Col de la Loze, Pogačar cracked again, losing approximately 5 minutes 45 seconds as Vingegaard rode away on one of the most demanding finishes in recent Tour history. Vingegaard won the 2023 Tour by 7 minutes 29 seconds. The margin suggested a gap that might not close.
2024: Pogačar Responds
Then came 2024. In April, Vingegaard crashed heavily at Itzulia Basque Country — Stage 4, on April 4, 2024. The injuries were serious: broken collarbone, broken ribs, and a pneumothorax. He was hospitalised. The fact that he made it to the Tour start line at all was remarkable; arriving fully competitive was not on the cards.
Pogačar arrived at the 2024 Tour as the reigning Giro d'Italia champion, having completed a Giro–Tour double that nobody had managed since Marco Pantani in 1998. He was dominant. He won six stages, including multiple summit finishes by significant margins, and took the Tour by 6 minutes 17 seconds over Vingegaard, with Remco Evenepoel third. The rivalry score across five editions: Pogačar three (2020, 2021, 2024), Vingegaard two (2022, 2023).
2025: Pogačar Dominates
Last year, Pogacar reigned over Tour de France from the start to finish. Leaving almost nothing to Vingegaard. He managed to score one of the best seasons in cycling history and collected his fourth Tour de France.
What to Expect in 2026
Both men are expected to lead their teams at the 2026 Tour in Barcelona — Pogačar with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Vingegaard with Visma–Lease a Bike. The bikes they race are the most advanced road machines in production: Pogačar has raced the Colnago V4Rs and the newer Colnago Y1Rs aero platform; Vingegaard has ridden the Cervélo R5 for climbing stages and the S5 for aero days. After each Tour, some of those team-spec machines reach the secondary market. Bikeroom lists verified World Tour bikes — race-used and team-edition builds — when they become available.
