What has us told by Marta Cavalli Jonas Vingegaard confirmed it. His vision of cycling is certainly extreme: the only way to participate is to win. But the Dane, who he won the Vuelta After finishing second in the Tour, he explained to L'Equipe why it was important to win in Spain. Not so much for the victory of a Grand Tour in itself, but for the feeling of having resumed the trajectory broken by theaccident at the 2024 Tour of the Basque CountryAnd even in this case, not so much because of the severity of the injury, but because of what it meant having to stop for months.
«It took time to get back into shape – explained the leader of the Visma-Lease a Bike – get back in the saddle, but above all get back to the level I was at before the crash. I think I've found it again. From what I see in my data, I am able to generate the same power as beforeBut cycling is also evolving, so in a certain sense It took me a year and a half to get back to my previous level, during which I could have worked to progress.Before the crash, I was growing really well, I was progressing really quickly, so I hope I'm back on that trajectory. We'll have to see if I can improve further. and I will do absolutely everything I can to make that happen."
Cycling for the frontriders is a fast-moving train, a group constantly in the breakaway. Being forced to get off means waiting for the next group, which is going slowerAnd to get back on top requires a remarkable effort. Those who succeed shine again, while the others must resign themselves. Pogacar missed the 2023 Tour de France due to a simple scaphoid fracture.These are not excuses, they are the rules of cycling that don't wait.
The dream of the Giro
What will be in 2026 for Vingegaard? The Tour remains the central and decisive junctionAt the same time, the victory in the Vuelta made the Dane and his team understand that it is wise monetize the work by bringing home what Pogacar does not intend to achieve. Perhaps it was no coincidence that at the European Championships Vingegaard admitted that he would like to try his hand at the classics and put the possibility of the Giro d'Italia on the table for the first time.
"2025," he explained, "was a pretty good year. Not the best I've ever had, but I think 2023 was much better. But finishing second in the Tour de France and winning the Vuelta is not a bad seasonMy goal was to win in France, so from that point of view it didn't go well. In the end, I'd give myself a seven, maybe an eight. Cycling exists beyond the Tour de France, although it remains the most important race. I also enjoyed the week-long races (Vingegaard he won the Volta ao Algarve and it arrived second at the Dauphiné, ed.). But I can't forget that I crashed in Paris-Nice and that concussion put me out of action and affected the rest of the spring. We haven't defined the plan with the team yet, of course I have my ideas and my desires.The Tour is so important that it will definitely be part of the calendar. We'll see if the Giro can be included as well. That would be fantastic. Winning all three Grand Tours is every cyclist's dream.. So it's something very important, I would be very happy to go to the Giro."
The Tour doesn't give up
The Tour doesn't give up: It is impossible to imagine that the Dane will decide to skip it as long as he is one of the few credible contendersWhy would he do that? With Pogacar, he's the only one who can create a gap between himself and the competition, and the Slovenian isn't always guaranteed to be untouchable. An interview with Wellens a few days ago revealed that the world champion raced the last Grande Boucle with severe knee pain, and there were even fears within the team that he might retire. Vingegaard was there and would still be there to take advantage of any lapse, induced by his attacks or dictated by circumstances.
«I would skip the Tour – he explained – only if I understood that I couldn't fight for the victory. I think the Tour is so important that teams who have a contender for the victory want to bring himThis applies to me and I imagine to Tadej too. Even if we don't want to go, I think we should still accept it.That's not to say I don't like it, mind you, because the Tour is something immense and has its own charm. It's much bigger than the Vuelta, I can't speak for the Giro. In France, you arrive on the podium to sign and there are thirty journalists who want to ask you somethingAt the Vuelta, I'd get off the stage and think, 'There are only two, I like it that way.' That's what makes the Tour so tiring. The media, the protocol, the transfers, but that's also what makes it special. You only understand it when you're there.
In this maniacal mix of retreats and races, Vingegaard admits that he would have a hard time planning Liège, which he also likes, because at that time he is usually at high altitude.Similarly, while admitting the allure of the World Championships in Montreal, he says that if he were to do the Vuelta, he'd find it difficult to plan the trip to Canada. A vision divided into distinct compartments. Is there really room for the Giro d'Italia in his calendar?
