There have been few updates since Jonas Vingegaard had his unfortunate crash during the Tour of the Basque Country in early April. On Tuesday, Danish broadcaster TV2 conducted an extensive interview with Vingegaard’s directeur sportif Frans Maassen.
An update about Jonas Vingegaard
“It must have been really hard for him to be in hospital for 12 days. We were happy to hear that he could leave the hospital,” the Dutchman said, “He had punctured his lung. That was his biggest problem. He also had a broken collarbone and several ribs. He had also broken a finger. The biggest problem was the punctured lung. He had some blood in his lung, but I’m not a specialist. It was a question of safety – those were the main reasons he stayed there for so long. That’s why it’s really good to hear that he was able to leave the hospital.”
“Switzerland or Denmark for Vingegaard?
It’s unclear where Vingegaard is headed now–as the team does not want to divulge it.
“I know where he is going, but I don’t want to say anything about it because he needs to relax,” Maasen said. “It is better to leave him alone as much as possible so that he can recover in the next two weeks and then we can give an update.
Maassen clarified, “I’m not a doctor, but in the coming weeks, we’ll assess what’s feasible and then devise new strategies.” He outlined the recovery process, mentioning that Vingegaard will begin on an indoor trainer, then transition to rollers, and finally resume road cycling. However, the timeline remains uncertain. Emphasizing Vingegaard’s recovery as the priority, Maassen stressed the importance of crafting a solid plan for his return to cycling afterward.
“Only doing the Tour to win
In 2023, Vingegaard’s rival, Tadej Pogačar faced a setback with a wrist injury during Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2023, disrupting his training for the race. This forced him to take several weeks off from riding, causing him to miss his usual preparation races and affecting his peak performance.
Similarly, despite Vingegaard’s impressive performance in winter and spring, he might encounter a similar challenge to Pogačar—lacking crucial race-paced miles, potentially impacting his dominance in France compared to previous years.
When asked if Vingegaard would ride the Tour if he was only at 90 per cent, Maasen minced no words.
“I don’t think so. For Jonas, it is important to be at 100 per cent when the Tour starts. It’s a really tough…
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