Tour de France contenders Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard have intensified their preparations for July’s Grand Tour, both opting for high-altitude training in Spain’s Sierra Nevada this week. Social media footage showed the two past champions working out in the same mountainous region, though each with his own team and in separate accommodations. Over the coming fortnight, the rivals may catch glimpses of one another at the ski resort, but they remain based in different apartments.
One clip captured defending champion Pogačar climbing solo on a 6% gradient at 2,200 meters elevation, while another showed two-time winner Vingegaard riding with a Visma-Lease a Bike teammate. The altitude block serves as a lead-in to the Critérium du Dauphiné (June 8-15), their final tune-up before the Tour.
Vingegaard has raced sparingly in 2025, with only the Volta ao Algarve where he won and a Paris-Nice campaign that ended early due to a concussion-causing crash. That injury also forced him to skip the Volta a Catalunya in March. He’s now training in Sierra Nevada alongside teammates such as Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Victor Campenaerts, and Tiesj Benoot.
Pogačar, in contrast, has been on dominant form, claiming seven victories from just 14 race days so far this year. His wins include the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He’s accompanied in training by UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Julius Johansen.
Sierra Nevada is currently a hub of activity with numerous teams setting up altitude camps. Riders from TotalEnergies, EF Education-EasyPost, and Lidl-Trek are also training in the area.
Among other Tour hopefuls, Primož Roglič is racing the Giro d’Italia, where he sits second after four stages. Remco Evenepoel has kicked off his Tour build-up with a 69km ride in Belgium and is expected to head to altitude soon.
These altitude camps play a crucial role in the lead-up to the Tour, with many riders heading to either the Critérium du Dauphiné or the Tour de Suisse in June. Following those races, top riders like Pogačar and Vingegaard will return to high elevations one last time before the Grand Départ in Lille on July 5.
Visma-Lease a Bike will return to Tignes in the French Alps for their final prep camp, while UAE Team Emirates has not yet disclosed Pogačar’s final training location. Last year, he opted for Isola 2000 in the Italian Alps.
With 53 days to go before the Tour begins, the groundwork for cycling’s biggest race is already well underway.
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