PROFESSIONALS | 05/25/2024 | 08:10
by Francesca Monzone
Probably only after mid-June Visma-Lease a Bike will dissolve reservations about the possible participation of Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France. The Dane has been back on the saddle for a few weeks after the terrible accident at the Tour of the Basque Country, but no one can say what stage of recovery he is in at the moment.
Among other things, there are also some conflicting hypotheses about his cycling trips: there are those who claim that it is a part of the rehabilitation and those who are firmly convinced that he has started preparing for the yellow race.
«Nobody knows the answer yet and it will take some time before a decision is made on the Tour de France – Visma-Lease technician Mathieu Heijboer told Bike to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet -: we have not set a clear deadline, but we are certainly talking more about weeks and not days.”
Jonas Vingegaard’s last victory dates back to last March, when he dominated the Tirreno-Adriatico. The Dane was in excellent condition and was participating in the Basque Country when, during the fourth stage, he ended up disastrously on the ground, breaking several ribs and also suffering a pneumothorax.
The Visma manager is considered one of the best specialists in the cycling field when it comes to rider preparation and part of the strategy used last year was the work of Mathieu Heijboer.
«Regarding Jonas I can say that it is still a question a process in which we observe what happens day by day. It’s clear that everyone wants to know if he will participate in the Tour de France. We would also like to do so, but we are not able to give an answer at this time. It has to improve. There’s not much to say about the situation other than we follow it every single day. Of course there will come a time when we have to make a decision, but it’s not now».
This year’s Tour was supposed to be the big challenge between Vingegaard and Pogacar, both winners of two Tours de France and it should also be the first year in which the Dane was supposed to clash with his former teammate Roglic. Everything could be postponed for a year, but only in the next two weeks will we really know what Visma-Lease a Bike will decide.
«There are still a lot of uncertainties at the moment and therefore I can’t say anything about it. We’re happy that Jonas is back on the bike. We are also happy that he is able to do longer workouts, but the kilometers in the legs are obviously not enough on their own. He is very motivated and wants to come to the Tour. His thoughts turn to the Tour. But as I said, we all have to make a wise decision, which is whether it is realistic to be there and whether he is capable of competing in the Tour.”
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