Cycling. After having “believed to die”, Jonas Vingegaard asks for awareness

In April 2024, more than his career, it was Jonas Vingegaard's life that almost changed. Having fallen heavily during the fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, the Dane remained on the ground for a long time, before being evacuated to hospital…

With seven broken ribs, a fractured sternum, a broken collarbone, a broken finger and both punctured lungs, Vingegaard finally managed to recover sufficiently to be able to compete in the Tour de France in the summer of 2024.

“I understand the doubts […]more… “

In an interview with Mondethe leader of Visma-Lease a bike training regretted that “many riders plead to take less risks, but in reality, no one does it”. “We play a role in safety,” continued the double winner of the Tour, who recalled having “thought he was going to die” the day he fell.

In his interview, the 28-year-old rider also salutes Tadej Pogacar's “exceptional season”, which gave him no chance in the Tour de France. “I understand the doubts around his performances, but he has set new standards that we must now reach,” assured Vingegaard about his Slovenian rival, for whom he has “a lot of respect […] even if it's not ” [son] best friend.”

If Jonas Vingegaard believes that “Cycling does not necessarily lose its soul” despite the arrival of companies with astronomical resources in the peloton, the Dane, on the other hand, called for a “ban” on carbon monoxide, which certain teams use to gain in performance… While remembering that Visma-Lease a bike also uses it to “calculate the maximum oxygen absorption capacity” of its riders.