Visma-Lease a Bike team manager Richard Plugge welcomed the unveiling of the 2026 Tour de France route with optimism, confident that Jonas Vingegaard can challenge four-time winner Tadej Pogačar next July.

The Dane beat Pogačar in 2022 and 2023, but the Slovenian and UAE Team Emirates-XRG dominated the Tour in the 2024 and 2025 editions.

"We still believe we can fight for the win," Plugge told Het Laatste Nieuws after the route presentation at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. "We're very confident. There are some fantastic stages that should suit Jonas very well, and the team time trial and individual time trial will certainly not be a disadvantage. I think several riders on our team see opportunities on this route."

Plugge hopes Visma-Lease a Bike can challenge Pogačar in the decisive final stages on Alpe d'Huez: "It's a beautiful route. The last week is really tough. The organizers clearly want to keep the suspense going until the end, and I think they've designed a good route to achieve that goal."

The team will be able to count on valuable allies such as Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss and Wout Van Aert, with the latter aiming to repeat the success achieved in the final 2025 stage, finishing in Montmartre.

"The Tour de France is always a tough race, and next year will be no exception," commented sports director Grischa Niermann. "The route could suit Jonas well, but we still need to analyze all the stages in detail."

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