"This is not a disaster": Visma | Lease a Bike reassures after Jonas Vingegaard abandons
Things are not going well for Visma | Lease a Bike at the moment. After Wout van Aert, now the team's second leader Jonas Vingegaard is sidelined as well. A crash and illness force him to miss the UAE Tour. According to the team's Head of Racing, Grischa Niermann, this is not a disaster considering what lies ahead for the Danish leader.
Vingegaard crashed last week during a training descent. The crash sparked quite a debate because, according to Vingegaard and his team, it was partly caused by an amateur rider who was following closely behind him. The damage initially seemed minor, but combined with illness, it has meant he cannot start what was supposed to be his first race of the season.
"Because of both the crash and the illness, he hasn't been able to train properly. Although I can't tell you exactly how long he was off the bike," Niermann tells our camera crew. "But it was to such an extent that we decided he wouldn't be fit in time—or at least not in top or very good shape—for the UAE Tour."
Mental setback
For the two-time Tour de France winner, this has apparently been primarily a mental blow. "Of course, it sets him back a bit. He’s frustrated because he really wants to race. But not if he’s not fit. Jonas has said he really wants to compete and win races. But that is a step for later," says the German sports director.
Letting Vingegaard ride in the UAE without being in top form was not an option for the team, Niermann explains. "Ideally, you don't want a rider to race if he's not 100% fit. But sometimes it can't be helped. Especially with your team leader, you absolutely don’t want that. Then you have to make such a decision. It’s not a disaster, but a conscious choice not to do the UAE Tour."
"Most likely," the Vuelta a Catalunya will be Vingegaard’s next race, but the Catalan stage race starts only on March 23. The Danish leader will thus have a long period to bridge, but Niermann cannot give us full clarity yet. "First, we will see how quickly he regains full fitness. Then we’ll see how things progress with Jonas."
Goals not at risk
Although Niermann says the absence of Vingegaard and Van Aert "is not a disaster," the team currently misses its two most important leaders. Vingegaard is aiming for the overall victory at the Giro d'Italia this season, followed by the Tour de France. Van Aert is meanwhile recovering well at training camp in Sierra Nevada, and his season debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is not expected to be jeopardized.
And can the team still approach the UAE Tour with ambition? According to Niermann, no major changes to the squad are expected. "We won’t move Sepp Kuss over after Oman. We’re racing there with the other riders originally planned, like Ben Tulett and Jørgen Nordhagen."
