Jonas Vingegaard has not skilled loss on the Tour de France earlier than. He has not gained each time he has been on the race – he completed second in 2021 – however that was surprising, that was the Visma-Lease a Bike asserting himself. He gained in 2022, and in 2023, however now he got here up quick. As Tadej Pogačar celebrated, he seemed downcast.
And who might blame the Dane? He had his season’s one principal aim all however kicked out from beneath him in essentially the most violent approach due to a crash – however he needed to face it down anyway – it at all times going to harm.
Seems although, we needn’t have anxious an excessive amount of.
Showing on French tv lower than 10 minutes later, Vingegaard was sporting the relaxed smile of somebody who had simply realised he hadn’t run out of tea luggage in any case.
A short time later, the Tour’s podium press convention confirmed his mellow good humour, declaring that this second place might be his largest end result but.
“It’s very good for me to be again at a really, very excessive stage,” he stated. “After the whole lot that occurred with the crash… to have the ability to get again like this, second is a really huge end result.
“I feel, with the whole lot in thoughts, it could be even a much bigger end result than profitable the Tour when the whole lot went excellent.”
He even managed a contact of black humour when requested about what he may do to return even higher to beat Pogačar subsequent time spherical. There was an enormous step to be made in his preparation, he stated, including that stated ‘huge step’ was to not break each bone in the suitable facet of his higher physique and puncture each lungs.
The 26-year-old reminded journalists that he had spent eight days bed-bound in intensive care after his crash at Itzulia Basque Nation in April, and 12 days’ complete in hospital. It is a surprise he made it to the Tour in any respect and spoke volumes concerning the reality he was so at peace with second place.
All the identical, Vingegaard stated he had put out some “fairly unimaginable” energy figures through the race and after profitable stage 11 to Le Lorian he stated he thought he might go on to win.
“I used to be believing I might actually win this Tour from there on,” he stated. “Additionally earlier than, as a result of I knew I had a excessive stage. I did the perfect ever efficiency on Plateau de Beille [stage 15]. It was a 40-minute climb, and my energy numbers it was fairly unimaginable.”
He held on to the idea for a very long time, he stated, however lastly a foul day at Isola 2000 left him “hanging on for pricey life”, and conceding defeat on the finish of the stage.
He gave credit score to Pogačar, admitting: “Tadej was stronger, so he deserves to win. It’s actually spectacular how he rode this Tour de France.”
There can be no Vuelta a España for him this yr, he stated. As a substitute, relaxation. After which he would take into consideration what got here subsequent.
