He’s going! The question on everyone’s lips has been answered. Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard will be in Florence on June 29 to defend his Tour de France crown.
After a terrible crash in Spain at the Tour of the Basque Country, and a lengthy hospital stay, the Visma – Lease a Bike rider underwent extensive rehabilitation before resuming training. After some base miles in his native Denmark, he headed to Mallorca. Following increased volume, he joined his teammates in the French Alps for increased training.
His team has said he would only go if he was able to do well, so despite having done no races, clearly his form must be there.
In 2023, Vingegaard’s rival, Tadej Pogačar’s preparation didn’twell leadig up to the Tour de France. The Slovenian admitte it took a toll on him, he admits. After crashing out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he was later diagnosed with a broken wrist. Thus significantly disrupted his preparation for the race. It meant several weeks off from riding, he missed his usual preparation races, and definitely affected his fitness.
Although Pogi had a solid start to the TdF, he would ultimately crack in the mountains, and lose over 90 seconds in the crucial time trial. He missed the important lead-up stage races, settling only for his national championship races before the Grand Départ. Many attributed his lack of racing to him suffering at the Tour.
Visma – Lease a Bike also released its special Tour de France kit, a blue jersey that is called “renaissance.” Given the team’s tough spring, which saw both Vingegaard and Classics star Wout van Aert crash, the team must be hoping for some redemption in July.
The moment we have all been waiting for. We are very happy to announce our Tour de France line-up. ⚜️🔹#limitlessthinking pic.twitter.com/Qmj2H9JinE
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 20, 2024
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…