Jonas Vingegaard claimed his first Paris-Nice victory this Sunday, one of the most prestigious races on the calendar. He did so with undeniable dominance: winning the two toughest stages, nearly taking the final one as well before yielding to Lenny Martínez, and leading the general classification by 4 minutes and 23 seconds over runner-up Daniel Felipe Martínez—a margin not seen in the Race to the Sun since cycling’s black-and-white era.
It was a strong season debut for Vingegaard, who is following a very different path from his great rival Tadej Pogacar ahead of their annual meeting at the Tour de France. The Slovenian opened his season with a show of force at the Strade Bianche and will attack Milan-San Remo next Saturday, a Monument still missing from his palmares. His spring duels are more focused on Mathieu van der Poel at this stage. There will be time to think about Vingegaard later.
The Dane admitted at the finish line in Nice that he isn’t thinking much about Pogacar during this part of the season, though it’s inevitable they keep an eye on each other. Jonas is the only rider to have beaten Tadej at the Tour, twice, although he hasn’t managed to challenge him in the last two editions. The Pogacar-Vingegaard rivalry is the headline duel shaping the cycling season, but until the Grande Boucle arrives, both are padding their resumes with other prestigious races.
The Visma leader will make his debut at the Giro d’Italia this year, a race Pogacar already won in 2024. If Vingegaard wins the pink race, he will have completed all three Grand Tours before his rival. It’s another way of challenging him. However, judging by his program, Pogacar seems more focused on completing all five Monuments than on a possible appearance at the Vuelta a España. Each, in his own way, makes cycling greater and makes himself greater—before their annual showdown at the Tour. Their sixth duel awaits.