Mathieu Warnier, Media365: published on Saturday June 29, 2024 at 5:50 p.m.
Victim of a very heavy fall at the beginning of April during the Tour du Pays Basque, Jonas Vingegaard approaches the 111th Tour de France with more questions than answers concerning his state of form.
Jonas Vingegaard won his time trial race. On April 4, during the 4th stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, the leader of the Visma-Lease a Bike team saw his season turned upside down. Caught in a massive fall on a descent, the Dane suffered several serious injuries, including fractures and a perforated lung. From then on, the uncertainty regarding the presence of the double title holder at the start of the 2024 edition of the Tour de France was total. Without making any noise, Jonas Vingegaard gradually rebuilt himself and it was nine days before the deadline that the news broke. The winner of the last two Grandes Boucles has decided to take the crazy gamble of resuming competition in the most important race on the calendar. However, it was far from over as he spent a long time in the hospital. “I was in bed for two weeks, it’s not good to be in intensive care for two weeks,” he told the press. I lost a lot of things and had to train to get my fitness back. »
Vingegaard facing pain and apprehensions
While he himself indicates that he is in the dark about his ability to play at the highest level for three weeks, Jonas Vingegaard saw his sporting director Merijn Zeeman concede in a press release that “his preparation has not been ideal”. But, above all, the Dane will probably have to manage the consequences of the injuries suffered three months ago. “He may still have some pain related to the bone structure, to the fractures”, specified in comments collected by France Info Dr. Roger Rua, sports physician. However, respiratory problems related to lung injuries should be “almost negligible for an athlete of his level” due to the rest time the Visma-Lease a Bike rider has been able to benefit from. Jonas Vingegaard will also have to deal with some apprehensions arising from his fall in the Basque Country. “He remains a human being, he can be afraid of falling, the apprehension, it’s complicated to manage, adds Roger Rua. I think he was able to be followed by a psychologist for that.” As for ambitions, repeating over and over again that everything is “a bonus” and assuring that he is happy simply by being present in Florence, the Dane intends to “do the best possible in the general classification”. The answers will come very quickly as the first stages of the 2024 Tour de France will be demanding.
