Jonas Vingegaard: “i would also like to win one-day classics like Tadej Pogačar”

Four races are currently on Jonas Vingegaard’s tentative program. This includes both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, but without a strong lieutenant like Simon Yates. It’s clear that the Danish leader of Visma | Lease a Bike will miss him. Moreover, his calendar contradicts statements from Richard Plugge, who with ONE Cycling had hoped to see the top riders competing against each other more often. Vingegaard shares his story on camera for WielerFlits.

There was a lot of talk this week about the burnout that the Dane says he nearly reached. Although he doesn’t speak about it in many words, he seems to hint at this when referring to Yates’ sudden departure last week. “Of course, the timing was a bit surprising,” says the Dane. “It’s a big blow for us as a team as well. That said, I have a lot of respect for Simon and the decision he made. It really takes courage to stop your pro career at this point. He feels that enough is enough,” he respects the Brit.

“There’s been a lot of talk about burnouts in the peloton in recent years,” Vingegaard continues. “It’s a tough world for every rider, including me. We travel a lot. Sometimes it’s just too tough. Maybe we need to learn from this in a certain way. That we approach cycling smarter. It doesn’t have to be as hard as it is now. You should look at it more individually. Some riders are okay with being away from home a lot, others are not. For Simon it’s been very difficult. Maybe in a different way we can have longer careers.”

Fewer races but not fewer race days
As mentioned, Vingegaard currently plans to ride only four races in 2026. That’s two fewer than the six he did last season. After talking about burnouts, the Dane emphasizes that this is not the reason he will only wear four race numbers next year. “Although I am indeed starting in only four races, I’m heading towards about sixty race days. Everything is planned with the Tour in mind. If you do too much in the spring, you pay for it in the Tour de France. If you do the Giro and want to compete for the Tour win, you have to ride a less demanding spring.”

After La Grande Boucle, the Visma | Lease a Bike leader will decide whether to add more races or to call it enough. Still, fans are increasingly eager to see the best riders compete head-to-head. Vingegaard’s team boss Plugge envisions a world where the top riders race each other more often. “I can understand that,” says the Dane. “Fans want to see us constantly battling against each other. But we all have individual goals and plans each year. For example, Tadej Pogačar carefully selects all those one-day races. I have a lot of respect for that.”

“I just haven’t found the right way to be able to race them,” Vingegaard continues. “I would really like to do it. I enjoy watching those races because they are very special events. I also understand very well why Tadej wants to win them. Of course, I would love that too. But right now, I simply can’t. Also, we’re all preparing better and better for certain races because the level is much higher than a few years ago. You have to be 100% ready for every race.”