PARIS — Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard will not be participating in the upcoming Catalonia Volta due to his ongoing recovery from a recent crash in Paris-Nice. The Danish cyclist, aged 28, sustained an injury to his left hand during an unfortunate incident in the fifth stage of Paris-Nice last Thursday. This mishap involved a fall while climbing, leading to a contusion.
As the leader of the Visma-Lease a Bike team, Vingegaard made the decision to withdraw from the Paris-Nice race to avoid any further injury and protect his chances in future competitions this cycling season. Although he had plans to jump back into racing in Spain, his team confirmed that he is not fit enough to compete in the week-long race starting next week.
Vingegaard’s primary aim for the year remains securing a third victory at the Tour de France. This prestigious three-week race is scheduled to run from July 5 to July 27. In preparation, Vingegaard is expected to compete in the Critérium du Dauphiné in June. This French race is known for being a challenging contest that many cyclists use to gear up for the Tour de France.
In the previous year’s Tour, Vingegaard finished as the runner-up, trailing more than six minutes behind his rival, Tadej Pogacar. His training for this year’s big race was interrupted by a serious accident in April 2024, where he suffered from a broken collarbone and ribs, as well as a collapsed lung. These injuries undoubtedly impacted his preparation time and racing strategy.
