The Dark Horse Contender for the 2022 Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard

The rider with the honorable distinction of being this year’s dark horse contender for the 2022 Tour de France is none other than Primož Roglič’s teammate (and perhaps heir apparent), Jonas Vingegaard.

Thirty-two year-old Roglič is still looking incredibly strong, having just won the Criterium du Dauphine — often called the dress rehearsal for the Tour — alongside 25-year old Vingegaard, who placed second. Jumbo Visma is undoubtedly the team to beat, but UAE’s wunderkind, 23-year old Tadej Pogačar, is still the rider to beat.

Pogačar and Roglič will be dueling it out from the mountains to the flats in this year’s Tour, but should either of them falter, Vingegaard looks ready to pounce for the title. After Roglič dropped out of last year’s Tour due to injuries, it was Vingegaard who rose to the second step (and into the spotlight), earning attention as a rider to watch for future races.

Vingegaard himself has stated that he believes he has a good chance of winning the Tour, given that he was able to drop Pogačar, the defending champion and two-time Tour de France winner, on the slopes of Mont Ventoux in 2021.

Vingegaard and Roglič have been given dual leadership of Jumbo Visma for this year’s Tour, a designation that has often made other teams squirm; but the good news is that both riders are very good friends who support each other even in the wake of fierce competition. It may truly be a case of “may the best man win” — and one of them may find a way to topple Pogačar.

Will the strongest team or the strongest rider win out in the end? Will Roglič claim the Tour title that has eluded him? Will Pogačar take home three jerseys for a third time? Will Vingegaard play the role of the dark horse winner? We’ll be glued to our TVs to find out!