Around 10km from where Jonas Vingegaard is from, in northern Denmark, is the town of Nykøbing Mors, where the writer Aksel Sandemose was born. The writer lives on, half a century after his death, through the Law of Jante, or Janteloven in Danish.
The ten rules, which were written satirically, have taken on a more sincere meaning now, and essentially boil down to the following: you should not think you’re anything special, or that you’re better than anyone else. When you think of the reserved, quiet, family-oriented Vingegaard, it does not seem a giant leap to think of Janteloven.
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News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com – should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
In the era of Pogačar, this year to date even, there have been a few other riders touted as alternatives to UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s domination. We’ve had the hype around Remco Evenepoel at Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, the breakthrough of the teenage Paul Seixas, and the new start for Juan Ayuso at Lidl-Trek.
However, the one true alternative has always been Vingegaard. It was he and Visma-Lease a Bike who toppled Pogačar at the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, and we could hardly rule out this happening again. Of course, living with Janteloven, it’s hardly something he is going to crow about, but the signs are good, at least for the first part of his Giro d’Italia-Tour de France plan this year.
The Dane had not raced before Paris-Nice this year, due to illness, but his performances last week certainly would have made many take notice. He won by over four minutes, a crushing performance across eight stages; his biggest rivals might have been absent, but you can only beat what’s in front of you, and Vingegaard did it on an almost unmatched scale, with the largest winning margin since the Second World War. It was a Pogačar-esque performance.
Not that it was designed as a message. Vingegaard said post-race: “I think for me, it’s just about racing, trying to win the races that I’m doing and this was my first race of the year. And, I’m just extremely happy with how everything went here.”
To all accounts Vingegaard currently presents a relaxed figure; perhaps knowing that all he can do is perform his best and hope things fall into place. If you know that you are racing against possibly the best-ever in Pogačar, there might just be some freedom in knowing that you’re not really expected to match him – so it is your job to prove people wrong, and just ride your own race.
Next on the list for 2026 is the Volta a Catalunya next week, where he will face off against Evenepoel and Pogačar’s team-mate João Almeida; a solid performance will boost confidence to their heights, ahead of the Giro d’Italia in May. The Italian Grand Tour could be a useful distraction, something to focus on before the Tour de France rolls around. He can say in interview that his aim is the Giro, and that nothing else matters – if he wins there, and completes the set, then the Tour is kind of a free hit. It seems like an enlightened plan. The Giro is clearly not a done deal, but Vingegaard has the ability to win it, and then anything can happen.
Cycling needs a strong alternative to Pogačar and UAE in stage races, just as Mathieu van der Poel offers a counterpoint in the Classics. Vingegaard might shun the limelight, understandably so, but he’s the person fans need to challenge the hegemony.
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If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
