'The Tour and festivities demanded a lot from him': Jonas Vingegaard takes extended break to recover from Tour de France triumph
It remains unknown when the Dane will next take to a startline
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Jonas Vingegaard is having an extended period away from racing, with his Jumbo-Visma team admitting that winning the Tour de France and the subsequent celebrations left the Dane needing time out of the spotlight.
The 25-year-old was a convincing winner against defending champion Tadej Pogačar in July, and returned to Denmark in a private jet to be greeted by enormous, raucous crowds in both Copenhagen and his hometown.
He eschewed the opportunity to race the recent Tour of Denmark and also September's hilly World Championships in Australia, meaning that it is unknown when he will next race.
Jumbo-Visma sports director Frans Maasen last week told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that Vingegaard "has had a very tough time after the Tour" and that "we have to understand that it was difficult to win the Tour de France, what with everything that comes with it."
Given Vingegaard's well-publicised private, quiet demeanour, legitimate questions have been asked about how the Dane will cope with the increased attention on him, and if he will be able to handle added scrutiny from an ever-hungry fanbase and media.
Grischa Niermann, the team's DS who oversaw Vingegaard's win in France, played down suggestions of Vingegaard struggling, but did admit that the mental toll was significant on a rider who had only ever topped a GC in a stage race once before.
"I don’t think he has had a hard time, but of course the Tour really demanded a lot from him, and probably all of the festivities afterwards asked even more of him," Niermann told Cycling Weekly at the Vuelta a España.
"He worked towards the Tour for months and then he won it. It came with a lot of pressure, with a lot of demands from the fans, from our sponsors, from the Danish public, from the media, and now he needed a little break.
"I don’t think there is a problem or that he had a hard time; I think it’s normal that you need a little bit of a mental and physical break.
"We help him because if we weren't denying all the requests for him, he would still be riding around Europe, seeing all of our sponsors and doing media stuff. It's a lot and he cannot do everything.
"So I think for him the best mental rest he can get is being with his girlfriend and daughter, being at home and having some rest."
It has been speculated that Vingegaard might target October's Il Lombardia, but while Niermann added that the rider is back training at his home in Denmark, he would not specify what his next races will be.
"He's at home training and he will build up now towards what will be the end of the season," he said.
"He's not done, and for sure he will race before the Tour next year, and he will also race again this year."
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.
Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
-
-
Skip the gatorade, nonalcoholic beer may be as good as, or even better than, sports drinks
Dry January may be over but you may want to keep stocking those nonalcoholic beers — for fitness sake.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Rider hangs from bridge after huge pile-up at Etoile de Bessèges, stage neutralised
Valentin Ferron escapes with minor injuries as others taken to hospital
By Vern Pitt • Published
-
In celebration of Peter Sagan, cycling's rock and roll frontman
As the three-time world champion is set to call time on his career in the WorldTour at the end of 2023, we thought we would take a look back at the glory days
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
‘You never know in the Tour’ - Romain Bardet fearless as he lines up Tour de France GC bid
The 32-year-old is ready to play the tactical game this July
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Wright on Fire: Fred Wright on his breakthrough year, almost winning, and Primož Roglič
The young Bahrain-Victorious rider is one of the hottest properties in the peloton. All he needs now is a victory.
By Adam Becket • Published
-
‘I just started screaming’: Uno-X team boss delighted with Tour de France wildcard invitation
Jens Haugland said his team will race in a "very positive and attacking" way this July
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
No win for Jonas Vingegaard? Cycling Weekly's bold predictions for the 2023 season
With under a fortnight until the WorldTour kicks off this year, it is time to take a look into our crystal ball
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Speed Demons of the peloton: The six best sprinters of 2022
We take a look at the standout performers of the fast men and women in the professional scene this year
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
From the World Championships to Paris-Roubaix: Cycling Weekly's wins of 2022
It is hard to look past Annemiek van Vleuten, but we tried, so here is the best win of the year, plus nine more
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'Once in a lifetime': Matej Mohorič on his stunning Milan-San Remo victory in 2022
The dropper post, the daredevil descending, and the Monument win
By Tom Thewlis • Published