Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) prepares to return to racing for the first time since March at this weekend’s Critérium du Dauphiné, saying he feels like a ‘completely different person’ to last season heading into the Tour de France.

The two-time winner of the Grande Boucle has had a difficult start to the season, with a bad fall at Paris-Nice that caused him a concussion and forced him to stop for almost three months. Despite this, the Dane is improving day by day with the aim of taking back the yellow jersey from his great rival Tadej Pogačar.

'Even last year, going into the Tour, I thought I could win,' Vingegaard said from his training camp in Sierra Nevada. 'Obviously it didn't work out, but this year I really feel like a completely different person, both in terms of how my body reacts to training and how it feels in general.'

Recently spotted near Annecy, continuing his preparations for the Tour start in Lille on July 5, Vingegaard knows he will have to reach a new level to beat Pogačar, who finished over six minutes behind him last year.

'I've always enjoyed the process of getting to the highest level possible for the Tour de France; it's always the big goal and I enjoy doing the hard work that goes into it,' added the Visma rider. 'Everyone is making progress at the moment, so obviously I have to be better than I was two years ago when I won the Tour, but I feel like I'm improving.'

At the Dauphiné Vingegaard will face both Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel in what promises to be a preview of the battles that await us on the French roads in July.