Jonas Vingegaard has one thing on his mind after winning the Tour de France: a kebab. The Danish rider said he was looking forward to eating a durum, a type of kebab with doner meat, when he gets back to Jutland. He made this confession on Saturday evening, after securing the yellow jersey on the final mountain stage of the race.
Vingegaard finished third on stage 20, behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who won his third stage in a row, and Felix Gall (Ag2r-Citroën), who sprinted to second place on the Markstein summit in the Vosges. Vingegaard now has an unassailable lead of seven minutes over Pogačar, who is second overall.
The Jumbo-Visma rider said he had to make a lot of sacrifices to achieve this feat, such as spending more than 150 days away from his family. He also praised his rival Pogačar, who put up a fierce fight until the uphill time trial to Combloux, where Vingegaard delivered a decisive blow and took the yellow jersey for good.
“It’s been an incredible battle between me and Tadej,” Vingegaard said. “He’s a very strong rider and it was very hard to crack him. I’m very happy that I managed to do it and win the Tour.”
Vingegaard also received a phone call from Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, who congratulated him on his victory and said he was impressed by his performance and his handling of the pressure.
“He called me just after the finish line, he called my wife Trine,” Vingegaard said. “He said he was very proud of me and that it was amazing to win the Tour twice. He said he was very happy for me and for Denmark.”
The 26-year-old rider has shown remarkable improvement since his first Tour in 2021, when he finished second behind Pogačar. He said he learned how to cope with the pressure better and gained more confidence in himself and in the media.
“Two years ago was my first Tour,” he said. “That was the year I started to get good results. Before that, I was a good rider, but I couldn’t handle the pressure. Mostly from myself.
“But I learned how to deal with it, and from that moment, I started to win races and get on the podiums. You get more and more confident, in yourself and in the media.”
He also credited his flawless preparation for this year’s Tour, which was free of injuries and illnesses that hampered him last year.
“Last year I had a lot of problems in the spring, and this year I didn’t have any,” he said. “I’m developing and getting better and better. It’s not like I improved 20% in a year. I’ve got slightly better, it’s not like I’m way better than last year.”
The Madone 7 Gen 7 is an exceptional bike, but it’s also very expensive. It costs over $9K / £10K for an Ultegra Di2 model, which is much more than other comparable bikes from other brands.
For example, the Canyon Aeroad CFR with Dura-Ace Di2 costs $8,999 / £8,799, while the Cervelo S5 with SRAM Force AXS costs $9,000 / £9,200. The Giant Propel Advanced SL1 also with SRAM Force costs $8,000 / £8,999.
These bikes also come with power meters, which are missing on the Madone.
You might also expect better tires and more tire clearance on such a high-end bike, as these are important factors for comfort and performance.
So while we love the ride quality, the design, and the innovation of the Madone, we can’t ignore the price. It’s a fantastic bike, but it’s not a great value.