'I hope to be at the start of the Tour de France' - Jonas Vingegaard returns to riding, one month after horror crash

Reigning Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is back on his bike and riding outdoors again, just one month after a heavy crash. 

The 27-year-old suffered a broken collarbone, "several" broken ribs and a collapsed lung at Itzulia Basque Country in April, and spent almost two weeks in hospital. 

In a new video released by his team, Vingegaard said he now "feels good" and that he "hopes to be at the start of the Tour de France", which starts in Florence, Italy next month. 

"This is the first time back on the bike for me, riding outside, and it's really nice to finally be able to ride like normal again," he said. "To finally be able to ride on the road is really amazing. I'm really looking forward to taking the next steps."

In the video, Vingegaard is shown pedalling comfortably in a segregated cycle lane. The team also shared two images of the Dane, smiling as he rides his bike outdoors. 

"I feel good," the two-time Tour winner said. "It's improving day by day. I still have some things to recover from, but it's going better and better. 

"Of course, I hope to be there at the start of the Tour de France. We don't know exactly how my shape and how my recovery will go, but I will do everything I can to get there in my top shape." 

There are currently 53 days until the Tour de France begins. Vingegaard was originally planning to prepare for the race by defending his Critérium du Dauphiné title in early June, but he has instead had to skip the event. 

He is also missing a Visma-Lease a Bike training camp, which is taking place at altitude in Sierra Nevada, Spain, this week. Wout van Aert, who is sidelined with a broken collarbone, sternum and ribs, is absent from the camp, too. 

After crashing on stage four of Itzulia Basque Country on 4 April, Vingegaard was rushed to hospital, where he remained until 16 April. 

In a recent interview with Wielerflits, Visma-Lease a Bike sports director Merijn Zeeman said the Dane has since been "busy every day with his rehabilitation". 

"Winning the Tour will be difficult for Jonas, but it is certainly not impossible," Zeeman said. "We will certainly keep open the possibility that he will make it to the start of the Tour in Florence. Jonas is extremely talented and we know that he also recovers extremely quickly.

"Every week, we take stock. The medical staff cannot say much at the moment about the program he can follow in the coming period. We have to wait and see, but we certainly still have hope that he can defend his Tour title."