LANCE ARMSTRONG on his podcast speaks on concept of “supercompensation” on tour de france, slams visma for forcing jonas vingegaard to race despite his crash then losing to tadej pogacar

Armstrong Analyzes Tour de France Dynamics: Pogacar’s Victory and Vingegaard’s Challenge

Following yesterday’s stage finish, Lance Armstrong has offered a candid assessment of the current Tour de France dynamics.

According to Armstrong, the race has been effectively decided in favor of Tadej Pogacar, while Jonas Vingegaard faces a critical battle to retain his second place against a resurgent Remco Evenepoel.

Armstrong, analyzing the strategic maneuvers of the leading riders, pointed out Vingegaard’s frequent backward glances during Pogacar’s attacks. Initially, Vingegaard

would immediately counter Pogacar’s moves, but now his focus has shifted to monitoring Evenepoel, who is closing in from behind.

 

Armstrong highlights this shift as indicative of Vingegaard’s current struggle: “Jonas looking back, is this the real race we’re going to see? Jonas looking back at Remco. There are 4 days left and a very hard time trial at the end that suits Remco very well. He’s 2 minutes behind and he’s reeling it in.”

Armstrong’s analysis is supported by insights from Johan Bruyneel, who discussed the concept of “supercompensation” on his podcast, *The Move*. This concept suggests that cyclists need to incorporate rest periods into their training to enhance performance over time.

Bruyneel emphasized that the lack of adequate recovery, especially after a fall, can hinder a cyclist’s ability to peak at the right moment.

Vingegaard’s crash in the Itzulia race earlier in the season has been a significant factor. The subsequent lack of rest has impeded his ability to benefit from the supercompensation process, leading to a decline in form.

As Armstrong notes, “Logically, racing the Tour de France, he can’t afford those necessary rest periods. So sooner or later, his form was going to drop, and it seems to be happening in this third week where he has shown weakness even against Remco Evenepoel.”

Armstrong and Bruyneel’s perspectives underline the challenges Vingegaard faces. Armstrong suggests that attempting to win the Tour de France immediately after a crash is almost an impossible feat without the proper recovery periods.

He criticizes the decision to place Vingegaard in a position to compete for the Tour title under these circumstances, stating, “No one should put themselves in the position of trying to win the Tour de France after a crash.

You need those recovery periods you call supercompensation. He hasn’t been able to carry out this supercompensation period because he’s in the Tour de France.”

As the Tour progresses into its final stages, Vingegaard’s focus will need to shift to defending his position against a determined Evenepoel, while Pogacar’s dominance appears to be firmly established.

The remainder of the race will test both Vingegaard’s resilience and Evenepoel’s ability to capitalize on any further opportunities.