Visma-Lease a Bike says its Visma fightback remains alive after Tadej Pogačar took 2:38 from Jonas Vingegaard in the Pyrénées.
The deficit arrived on the Tour de France’s first major mountain stage, where Pogačar attacked on the Col du Tourmalet. Two days later, Visma staff and riders still projected belief around the team bus.
Ahead of Saturday’s sprint stage, the mood looked calmer than the general classification picture suggested. Riders smiled, staff kept the atmosphere loose, and the team avoided any public sense of surrender.
Sport director Marc Reef said Visma must keep racing as if the Tour remains open. He said a director who gave up now would not be doing his job.
“We will look for every chance all the way to Paris,” Reef said.
Visma fightback depends on patience and opportunity
Pogačar’s move on Thursday changed the shape of the race. His advantage over Vingegaard already exceeds half of his total winning margin from last year’s Tour.
UAE Emirates-XRG also has major depth around its leader. The team includes Isaac del Toro, who sits third overall, according to the race situation described by Visma.
That strength makes Visma’s task difficult. Still, the Dutch team points to the two remaining weeks as its reason for optimism.
Less than a week earlier, Visma had celebrated the yellow jersey in Barcelona. The team believed Vingegaard, fresh from his Giro d’Italia victory, had the form to challenge Pogačar.
Now Vingegaard again faces the familiar problem of chasing the Slovenian. Pogačar has not lost time to a direct Tour de France GC rival since his defeats to Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.
Reef said Vingegaard’s data did not show a broken rider. He noted that Vingegaard was only about 30 seconds behind Pogačar at the Tourmalet summit before the gap opened.
Visma also views the time loss as recoverable in theory. Reef said the Tour still has two weeks remaining and that the team must fight for every second.
Kuss says Visma must stay creative
Sepp Kuss said Visma needs patience rather than panic. The American climber said the race cannot be declared over before the final stages.
“The biggest stages are still to come,” Kuss said. He added that Visma hopes for a major opportunity later in the race.
Thursday’s tactical plan did not work as intended. Visma wanted to place a teammate in the breakaway, giving Vingegaard support later in the stage.
That role has often suited Wout van Aert in previous Tours. This year, however, the Belgian is watching the race from home.
UAE controlled the early moves, drove the pace on the Tourmalet, and prepared Pogačar’s attack. Vingegaard looked beaten at the finish in Gavarnie, but Visma has since rallied behind him.
Kuss said the defeat did not crush the team because everyone recognizes Pogačar’s level. He called the Slovenian the clear Tour favorite.
He also argued that Vingegaard remained close enough to keep fighting. Kuss believes the second half of the Tour should suit his leader better.
Visma’s challenge now is finding cracks in a rider who has looked almost untouchable. The team also must handle a UAE squad capable of isolating rivals in the mountains.
Kuss said UAE’s strength means Visma must think differently. He said the team needs to use its own strengths in creative ways.
Reef insisted Visma’s wider strategy has not changed. He said the biggest stages, and the largest possible time gaps, still lie ahead.
Pogačar could still suffer a crash, illness, or bad day. Visma’s public message remains clear: the race has shifted sharply, but the team will not concede.