Jonas Vingegaard's single-chainring bike choice draws criticism at Tour de France

During the sixth stage of the Tour de France, Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard lost nearly three minutes to Tadej Pogačar after climbing the Tourmalet. Former Giro winner Tom Dumoulin questioned Vingegaard’s equipment, noting that the single front chainring gives the rider only eleven or twelve gears and can cause “pure power loss” on steep climbs.

Visma‑Lease a Bike team manager Marc Reef rejected the criticism, stating that Vingegaard has used the setup for years and that the gear choice is not responsible for the time loss. Reef said, “We believe in our approach and will not change it for this stage.”

Former teammate Thomas Dekker also defended the decision, arguing that Vingegaard’s overall strength outweighs any gear disadvantage and suggesting that tactical factors, such as following the wrong move on the climb, better explain the deficit.