Jonas Vingegaard Set for Tour de France After Injury Recovery

Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time defending champion, will compete in this year’s Tour de France after he recovered from serious injuries he sustained earlier this season. The 27-year-old Dane has been out of action since April when he broke his collarbone, ribs, and suffered a collapsed lung during the Tour of the Basque Country. Vingegaard expressed his gratitude to his family and Team Visma-Lease a Bike for their unwavering support during the challenging recent months.

The Tour de France will start in Florence, Italy, on June 29. Wout van Aert, a nine-time stage winner and former green jersey holder, will support Vingegaard. Van Aert initially planned to ride the Giro d’Italia and then prepare for the Paris Olympics in July. However, a high-speed crash in a Belgian one-day race changed his plans. Although Jonas Vingegaard would usually be a strong contender to retain the yellow jersey which he won in 2022 and 2023, doubts remain about his form and readiness after missing crucial training and preparation time.

His main rival, Tadej Pogacar, has already shown top form by winning the Giro in May. Merijn Zeeman, Vingegaard’s Team Visma sporting director, commented on his recovery from a serious injury. He noted that Vingegaard has demonstrated his championship qualities both mentally and physically in recent weeks. However, Zeeman urged caution as Vingegaard hasn’t raced and his preparation has been far from ideal. Despite this, he will be there, healthy and motivated.

The strong eight-man Visma-Lease a Bike lineup for the Tour also includes American riders Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kuss, as well as Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Wilco Kelderman and Jan Tratnik.