Vingegaard takes revenge with first-ever stage win in Paris-Nice: "Didn’t expect such a crazy day"

Jonas Vingegaard made a golden move at Paris-Nice. The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike not only won the grueling and above all chaotic fourth stage but also took over the leader's jersey from Juan Ayuso, who had to abandon after a crash. "We expected a crazy day, but not that crazy," he said in the post-stage flash interview.

"We had a plan; we wanted to attack on the penultimate climb," Vingegaard continued. "But from the start, it was full gas. There wasn’t even time to take some clothes off. Maybe you could call me a trendsetter with my long pants," the climber laughed. "I just didn’t have time to take them off."

Despite the bad weather, Vingegaard felt strong. "I felt good. But it was an extremely tough day. Edoardo (Affini) was with me all day, he did an amazing job. From the start, it was so hectic... I’m just happy to be here and to have won the stage."

Revenge
Last year, Vingegaard had to abandon Paris-Nice after a crash in which he sustained a concussion. Does this feel like revenge now? "Definitely. Last year I had to get off the bike. I crashed while wearing the leader's jersey. That I come back now and win a stage—my first individual victory at Paris-Nice—and start the season like this is very nice."

The weather had a big impact on the stage, Vingegaard emphasized again. "From the start, there was a strong crosswind. Some riders were already dropped there. Later many riders got cold. I didn’t freeze because I had a lot of clothes on. That was probably also why I couldn’t take everything off. But yes, the rain certainly influenced the race significantly."