Speaking on the Cycloo Wielercafé talk show, Zeeman has said that Jonas Vingegaard could start in the Tour de France if he is “competitive.”
The directeur sportif had previously said that the defending champion would only return if he was in good enough form to win again. Not 90 per cent, he said, it had to be 100.
“It’s a very difficult puzzle. We have a lot of injuries, so we still have some work to do in the coming week to sort it out,” Zeeman said to host Bart Nolles. “Wout van Aert is already a lot further–he has already ridden the Tour of Norway–but Jonas has of course been in a lot of trouble since his crash at Tour of the Basque Country.”
The question of the Tour de France
For months, cycling fans have speculated whether Vingegaard will be at the starting line of the Tour de France in Florence. After suffering a severe crash in Basque Country and enduring a 12-day hospital stay, Vingegaard has finally resumed training. Beginning with flat roads in Denmark and gradually tackling high mountain terrains, his coach, Tim Heemskerk, has confirmed that Vingegaard has progressed from logging base miles at home to handling demanding mountain rides.
“He’s training now,” Zeeman said. “And he can train as usual, of course, but this afternoon we will have another meeting with his direct guidance about where he actually stands. Because training is one thing, but whether you can be competitive in the Tour, yes that’s something else.”
Zeeman said it is crucial the the Dane has the stamina for the entire race.
“It’s not like the Tour is one big time trial where the best rider always wins. So there’s also a tactical component to it, or that you can stay out of trouble. So somewhere we are going to make the trade-off,” Zeeman said. “We’re not ready to say he’s going to start if he can get on the podium. But sometime in the coming weeks, we will take stock: when will he go and when will he not go? How is he doing now? What can we expect and what can’t we expect?”
Zeeman had also said that ultimately, it would come down to Vingegaard himself.
“But we have to remember that it was a crash with a very big impact. It wasn’t just a collarbone fracture. It is also the terror of an extreme fall. I drove on to Tignes after the Dauphiné, so I talked to him a lot about it,” says Zeeman. “But now it’s getting so close that we’re also gradually getting to the moment of: are we going or are we not going?”
The…
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