After his terrible fall during the Tour of the Basque Country, Jonas Vingegaard almost lost everything. Finally, the Dane got back on the bike in mid-May, after several weeks in the hospital. He is expected to make his return in the Tour de France 2024, can Jonas Vingegaard be fit? We have serious doubts. But then, does Visma Lease a Bike have a plan B in case of Dane’s failure?
Context:
Double reigning winner of the Grande Boucle, Jonas Vingegaard is the logical favorite for his own succession at the beginning of the season, especially since the Dane has no use for the Olympic Games, whose position at the end of July- beginning of August concerns many. runners His program, similar to last year, unsurprisingly puts him on top in July, barring an accident. And that’s what happened. His terrible fall during the Tour du Pays Basque was shocking. The image also raised fears of an immediate end to his career. Froome never recovered from his major injury, even though he was not the same age.
After several weeks in the hospital, Vingegaard returned to training in mid-May, at home in Denmark. Point of relief but the opportunity to restart the machine, stalled after a long period of convalescence. Unable to leave the Dauphiné, he went to Tignes on May 30, to prepare for the altitude, before the rest of the Tour team joined him. A race against time has begun.
So the big question is whether Vingegaard will be ready in July. And if it will be able to last three weeks after stopping the bike for that time. If not, what is plan B?
SOS, what is plan B for the Tour de France in Visma?
Let’s be clear, Visma’s only chance to win Tour de France, It’s Vingegaard. If the Dane is not fit enough to influence the race or even participate in it, he will have to count on other runners but no one is able to beat Pogacar, Roglic and others.
Matteo Jorgenson it is the logical choice for us. A Movistar defector this winter, the American will turn 25 on July 1 and looks the most likely driver to replace Vingegaard. Complete, he is a good rider who will not lose much of his opponents in terms of time and he is also an excellent Flandrien who will be able to manage the stage of the vineyard paths around Troyes on Sunday July 4. Finally, he surprised Paris-Nice by showing himself strong, offensive and consistent. A performance that allowed him to win the race on the nose of the powerless Remco Evenepoel and a non-existent Roglic. But if we easily imagine that he could surprise us to get on the podium at the best, seeing him win seems inconceivable. At least this year. However, it is the one that provides the most guarantees.
Surprise winner of the 2023 Vueltaafter a historic treble of Jumbo-Visma, Sepp Kuss necessarily gained confidence and move away from the burden of assuming the status of leader. It seems to be a credible leader in the leader of Visma Lease a Bike but rather for the Giro or Vuelta, not for the Tour, which requires different characteristics. The American is undoubtedly one of the best climbers in the peloton and is the best mountain companion you could have. But the times will cost him dearly, even if he has made progress in this area. Also, the Troyes stage is a real unknown even though he showed skills on this type of terrain in the Classic Jaèn. But let’s remember that he also won the Tour of Spain thanks to a long escape. That Roglic was in his team, which is no longer the case today and that Pogacar was not there. This also leaves three major reasons that cast doubt on his ability to shine in the Tour de France. Quite honestly, we saw him in the top 10 but we preferred to see him in support of Jorgenson or Vingegaard if the latter is present.
Are you doing everything for Vingegaard to be at the start of the 2024 Tour de France?
This seems clear, if there is a plan B or even C, none of them seem compatible with the initial objective of winning the Tour de France 2024 We therefore do everything to ensure that Jonas Vingegaard is at the start of the Tour and lower their claims if this is not the case. Hopefully, if it is a little tight in the first days, it can gain strength over time. And if he is in good shape from the first stage, I hope he can last three weeks despite the little training and the absence of preparation races. Let’s remember that at the start of the Tour, Vingegaard will have almost 3 months without a race day… a big void. And the biggest concern is that the last weekend is undoubtedly the most difficult of the 21st century with two big mountain stages on Friday and Saturday and a time trial, for the first time in 40 years, on the last day of racing. You will therefore have to be ready from the first day and be in good shape until the last hour of the race. A huge challenge for a recovering runner, even when your name is Vingegaard. Victory would be a real feat akin to moving a mountain. A mountain too big. However, this is the biggest challenge for this month of June. Answer in just under two months.
