Tadej Pogacar aims dig at Visma-Lease a Bike after 'bottle-gate' incident at Tour de France as Visma DS says 'whole peloton hates us'
Updated 14/07/2025 at 09:14 GMT+1
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In a bid to finally dethrone Tadej Pogacar as Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team are - perhaps literally - getting their elbows out. An incident during Stage 7 of this year's Tour de France has threatened to pour fuel on an already simmering rivalry, as Pogacar felt he was ushered out of the way at a feeding station.
Watch: Pogacar pushes Jorgenson in 'bottle-gate' incident
Video credit: TNT Sports
Tadej Pogacar has demanded that Visma-Lease a Bike "pay respect to everybody" after a pushing incident at the Tour de France.
Pogacar's mano a mano rivalry with Visma's Jonas Vingegaard has been the story of recent Tours, with the pair locking out the yellow jersey since 2020.
Tensions have simmered between the two teams over that time, with Visma memorably wearing out Pogacar on the Col du Granon in 2022, with that coming after the Slovenian had crushed Primoz Roglic's dreams back in 2020 on La Planche des Belles Filles.
And things have threatened to escalate with this latest incident, which saw Pogacar feel impeded by Visma domestique Matteo Jorgenson on Stage 7.
A group of riders - including Pogacar and Jorgenson - approached a feeding station with around 15 kilometres to go, and as Pogacar attempted to move towards his soigneur and grab his bottle, Jorgenson slid up the inside and appeared to prevent the Slovenian from doing so.
"There was a feed zone, and we were riding in one line. I showed intention to go for my bottle from my soigneur, who was like 20 metres after Visma," Pogacar said to ITV.
"But they decided to pass us on the right side, so if I wanted to take a bottle, I could not do anything else but give him a little push, so I could get my bottle."
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Pogacar added: "For me, it was normal, but I don't know what their intention was. They do this a lot of times, coming in front of you in a feed zone, like they are the only ones having the bottles there.
"Sometimes, you have to be patient and stay on the wheel when you're taking the bottles, and pay respect to everybody."
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'They raced aggressively’ – Pogacar on Visma tactics during Stage 6
Video credit: TNT Sports
Visma sporting director Grischa Niermann, speaking from the opposite side of the divide, took a solutions-based approach to the coming-together.
"I think it's a normal incident," he said.
"Matteo wanted to take a bottle; apparently, Tadej also wanted to take one.
"Maybe we should tell our soigneurs to stand a little bit further apart from each other.
"I think like this, they both didn't get a bottle, because Matteo also didn't get his – that's a pity."
Niermann retorted "the same back to him" when asked about Pogacar's "respect" comment.
Continuing on the theme, Niermann told Cycling News and Velo of the need to deal with the "hate" he feels is being sent in his team's direction.
"It's a big fight, and it's really nice for the fans that it's not everyone rolling out the red carpet for Tadej," he said.
"There is a little bit of a fight, and we will go on and try everything.
"I think there's a lot of respect in the peloton, and in the Tour de France there is so much media, and they need some stories.
"I also read that the whole peloton hates us now or whatever, so everything is blown up or whatever, and we have to deal with that."
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