{"id":1942544,"date":"2026-05-18T15:44:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1942544"},"modified":"2026-05-18T15:44:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:44:45","slug":"why-vingegaard-might-still-have-to-worry-about-felix-gall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1942544","title":{"rendered":"Why Vingegaard Might Still Have to Worry About Felix Gall"},"content":{"rendered":"
Felix Gall may end up losing time in Tuesday\u2019s Giro d\u2019Italia time trial, but his bid for a podium \u2014 or better \u2014 is still very much on track.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the message of Decathlon CMA CGM Head of Performance Stephen Barrett, who suspects that Tuesday\u2019s decisive TT might even surprise a few people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a lot of TT work at the altitude camp at Mount Etna. I know it\u2019s a big point that he\u2019s not so good in the TT, but he\u2019s worked a lot on that aspect this year,\u201d the Irishman told Velo<\/i>.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a triathlon background, swimming and running, and he\u2019s got very, very long legs, so biomechanically it\u2019s difficult for him to be in a very aerodynamic position. But we\u2019ve done a lot of work with Van Reisel, with Swiss Side, our two partners and got him some special bars. He\u2019s ready to do a good TT.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jonas Vingegaard need not be too concerned; Barrett readily admits his predictions of a good time trial are relative to what he has done before.<\/p>\n
\u201cFelix will lose time to the favorites, but he should do a good TT,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
So, no danger of a stage win against the clock. But, remaining within striking distance of the others?<\/p>\n
That is the target for Tuesday and, he believes, should be within reach.<\/p>\n
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A star on the rise?<\/h2>\nFelix Gall was very aggressive in the finale of stage 9, and is emerging as Vingegaard\u2019s main challenger (Photo: Luca Bettini \/ AFP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Tall, thin and blessed with a good weight to height ratio, Gall has for several years been regarded as one of the world\u2019s best climbers. That began back at the 2023 Tour de Suisse when he attacked 20km from the finish in Leukerblad and finished more than a minute ahead of Remco Evenepoel.<\/p>\n
The Austrian then went on to an epic performance at the Tour de France.<\/p>\n
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Tenth overall starting stage 17, Gall was one of a large group which escaped 133km from the finish at Courchevel. That Queen stage of the Tour included the Col de la Loze, the highest climb of that year\u2019s race.<\/p>\n
The day was memorable for two reasons: it was where Jonas Vingegaard buried Tadej Poga\u010dar\u2019s GC hopes, putting over five and a half minutes into him.<\/p>\n
It was also where Gall really proved his potential, claiming victory with solo charge ahead of the likes of Simon Yates and Pello Bilbao.<\/p>\n
Three years later, Gall is impressing once again. He was the only rider within reach of Vingegaard on Friday\u2019s stage to Blockhaus, actually climbing faster than the Danish rider inside the final kilometers and closing to just 13 seconds by the line.<\/p>\n
He was again very good on Sunday, launching the key move on the final climb and dragging Vingegaard away. The latter sat on him and eventually took the stage, but Gall was just 12 seconds back and, in the mountains, is very clearly his closest rival.<\/p>\n
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\u201cFelix is in very, very good shape. He\u2019s certainly producing numbers which are impressive,\u201d Barrett said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen him in very, very good form in the Tour de France a few years ago when he won on Col de la Loze. What we see now he is more consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Col de la Loze was a really good performance. Now he can consistently produce those performances.\u201d<\/p>\n
The training behind the Giro form<\/h2>\nStephen Barrett is the Head of Performance at Decathlon CMA CGM. (Photo: Decathlon CMA CGM\/P.Ballet_A.Broadway)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Now 28 years of age, Gall is riding his seventh grand tour. He was a career-best fifth in last year\u2019s Tour, and has continued to evolve physically and mentally.<\/p>\n
Gall is poised third overall on Monday\u2019s rest day, and is second of the big GC contenders.<\/p>\n
The key question for Barrett is how has he reached a new level this season?<\/p>\n
Part of it is, of course, physical.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe\u2019s been in a really good state of mind, but also in his preparation this year has been really good,\u201d he said. \u201cA good preparation camp in December. Then we had another two camps in Sierra Nevada in end of January, which was quite affected by weather. That snow meant a lot of indoor training in January, February, but he still trained extremely well.\u201d<\/p>\n
His racing began at the UAE Tour, where he showed solid form. He did an altitude camp in Tenerife and then squared off against Vingegaard at the Volta a Catalunya.<\/p>\n
Second to the Dane on the climb of La Molina\/Coll de Pal on stage 5 was encouraging, and while he lost time on descents the following day, Barrett was satisfied.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had very, very good form, we saw his level was good,\u201d he said. \u201cThen he went back to another altitude camp at Mount Etna, just before the Giro.\u201d<\/p>\n
That alternation between altitude training camps and blocks of racing has clearly produced benefits. But in twin with that there have also been specific shifts in his training.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really focused on maximizing his strengths, and his strengths are his durability and his ability to resist fatigue,\u201d explained Barrett.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe had very, very big volume in December and January. Then we started to focus more on intensity, so we polarized work a bit more, and we focused on his ability to produce high power for sustained periods.<\/p>\n
\u201cFelix is not the most explosive rider. You are trying to improve where his weaknesses are, but you\u2019re really trying to maximize what he\u2019s good at.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we focused on his durability. We focused on a bit on his ability to follow attacks, to make attacks, to make attacks which can he can sustain. That meant a lot of spiked efforts, a lot of sustained efforts above threshold.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it seems to have paid off so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Mental gains: \u2018He\u2019s really stepping up\u2019<\/h2>\nFelix Gall is gradually becoming more used to the limelight and to leadership (Photo by Romain Doucelin\/NurPhoto)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
It\u2019s often said that cycling is about head and legs. Form is crucial, but so too mentality. Gall\u2019s improvement are not just physical ones, but have also come about in other areas.<\/p>\n
They are in ways a consequence of his growing strength, but so too of his team\u2019s increasing faith in him.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith Felix, it was always a case of being a guy who stepped back, and when the opportunity arose, he could take it,\u201d Barrett, Decathlon\u2019s Head of Performance, explained. \u201cBut now he\u2019s got a strong team around him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a strong group of teammates who believe in him. People like Gregor M\u00fchlberger, Callum Scotson, and Johannes Staune-Mittet, Oliver Naesen. And he has a group of DS\u2019s like Luke Roberts who believe in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat all gives him confidence to allow him to realize his potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
That in turn has seen him develop into the person he needed to be.<\/p>\n
The picture is of a reluctant star who has gradually become more comfortable with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have given him so much confidence in Felix that he is now really stepping up and being a leader,\u201d Barrett said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was always a very good rider, but he wasn\u2019t really the most charismatic leader. But now he\u2019s a leader. And he\u2019s been getting the guys to work for him. They\u2019re motivated to work for him, and with him.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe has built confidence year after year. Now he\u2019s getting to deliver in a consistent way, which is nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is pink a possibility?<\/h2>\nThe breakthrough win by Felix Gall on stage 17 of the 2023 Tour de France was based on talent, determination and fatigue resistance (Photo: Jean Catuffe\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Gall\u2019s physical and psychological progress bodes well for the Austrian, and so too for his team. Decathlon will field the great young hope Paul Seixas in the Tour, with the Frenchman set to lead the team at just 19 years of age.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a huge step, but France in July is far from the sole focus. Gall will also target the Vuelta this year, a race Barrett feels could suit him particularly well due to the nature of the climbs, but before then he will push for the best possible Giro result.<\/p>\n
Barrett previously saw another Decathlon rider make a big leap forward and believes Gall can do the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember saying to Ben O\u2019Connor a few years ago that he was no longer a guy who should be happy with a top 10 in the WorldTour race, or a top six in a grand tour. It\u2019s podium.<\/p>\n
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\u201cFelix has done top five in the Tour de France, he\u2019s been around, he\u2019s won a stage. But now Felix is one of the best climbers in the world. So, the objective and the goal remains podium in the Giro.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know Jonas is at a very, very high level. We\u2019ve seen this every year for the last number of years, but the objective remains certainly podium. And I think we can achieve this over the next couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Given his best grand tour result was fifth in last year\u2019s Tour, top three in Italy would mark progress. But in pinpointing the podium, Barrett also makes clear that they are not just accepting a Vingegaard victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just focused now on getting second place. In Catalunya Jonas was really a step above Felix. But on Blockhaus we saw that when Jonas made the attack, Felix got dropped. But then he really maintained the gap, and actually closed that gap in towards the finish. So there\u2019s opportunities for Felix to take time in Jonas.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOf course, Jonas, we know, is a very good, exceptional time trialist, so he\u2019s going to put time into Felix there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The podium may be a more realistic goal, but it\u2019s also a case of never say never.<\/p>\n
Aim high, hope for even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Maglia Rosa is not out of the question. The focus certainly remains on a podium in Rome.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2275903894.jpg”] Shane Stokes Updated May 18, 2026 01:08PM Felix Gall may end up losing time in Tuesday\u2019s Giro d\u2019Italia time trial, but his bid for a podium \u2014 or better \u2014 is still very much on track. That\u2019s the message of Decathlon CMA CGM Head of Performance Stephen Barrett, who suspects that Tuesday\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1942544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1942544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1942544\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1942544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1942544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1942544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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