Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard withdraws from Spanish race in aftermath of crash
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard waits for the start of the nineteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 144.6 kilometers (89.9 miles) with start in Embrun and finish in Isola 2000, France, Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
PARIS (AP) — Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard has not yet recovered from his crash during Paris-Nice and has withdrawn from the upcoming Catalonia Volta, his team said on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Danish cyclist hurt his left hand during the fifth stage of Paris-Nice last Thursday after hitting the ground in a climb. The Visma-Lease a Bike team leader suffered a contusion and withdrew from the race in order not to jeopardize other goals this season.
He was set to resume competition in Spain but his team said he is not ready for the weeklong race starting next week.
Vingegaard’s biggest goal this year is to win the Tour de France for the third time. The three-week race takes place from July 5-27.
The next event on Vingegaard’s race program is in June at the Critérium du Dauphiné, a tough race in France that many Tour de France contenders use to fine tune their preparations for cycling’s blue ribbon competition.
Vingegaard was runner-up at the Tour last year, lagging more than six minutes behind Tadej Pogacar. But his preparations for cycling’s biggest race had been seriously hampered by a crash in April 2024 when he sustained a broken collarbone and ribs and a collapsed lung.
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