After a horrific crash in the Basque Country in Itzulia earlier this year that left him in intensive care with a ruptured lung and other injuries, there seemed to be no chance that Jonas Vingegaard would challenge for the Maillot Jaune at the 2024 Tour de France. But just days before the Grand Départ, the Dane is well in the running.
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome suffered similar injuries in his own horror crash in the past and was stunned by Vingegaard’s recovery. “Jonas is the two-time defending champion and you can never write off a rider of his caliber. He knows how to win the Tour, but given what happened in April and his crash, there are certainly a few question marks over his form,” the Israel – Premier Tech rider, who was not nominated by his own team, told Escape Collective.
Although Vingegaard has clearly recovered sufficiently to start, it remains to be seen whether he still has enough strength to compete. “He hasn’t ridden since his crash in Itzulia, Basque Country, and when you look at the injuries that resulted from that, you have to be aware of the state his body might be in. He had a collapsed lung, and I had that in 2019 when I crashed in the Dauphiné. I can speak from personal experience how hard it is to come back from that,” explains Froome. “It’s not just the time he’s spent off the bike, but also the fact that it hurts to be able to breathe normally for months. So I can’t even imagine how he managed to prepare for the Tour with such an injury. Hats off to him, but it must have really affected his preparations. Despite that, I think Jonas is still my second best favorite.”
Number two behind Tadej Pogacar. “It’s worth noting that I think Tadej probably has the edge when it comes to supporting the team. I don’t think the UAE has ever had such a strong team for the Tour,” explains the 39-year-old. “João Almeida, Adam Yates and Juan Ayuso would all be hoping for a top 10 in the normal world, so having three GC guys helping you with your Tour bid is a pretty good starting point. It remains to be seen how much bad luck Visma has this season.”
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