Jonas Vingegaard’s participation in the Tour de France is still in doubt

The Visma-Lease cycling team, has struggled this season due to injuries to its top riders—Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert—resulting from severe crashes early in the season.

Team director Richard Plugge recently expressed concerns in an interview that Vingegaard's recovery might take longer than anticipated.

In an interview with the Spanish magazine Revelo, Plugge discussed various topics including cycling safety, the industry's future, and the team's prospects for the season, potentially without Vingegaard leading at the Tour.

Vingegaard resumed outdoor cycling last week, a significant milestone after sustaining a broken collarbone and fractured ribs in a crash at Itzulia Basque Country.

In his conversation with Revelo, Plugge emphasized the importance of Vingegaard's overall health, stating, “we had as a team was to assess whether Jonas could return to being a fully capable person… After a fall like the one he suffered, we have to be cautious and go day by day with his recovery.”

Although Vingegaard has resumed outdoor cycling, the Tour de France is only six weeks away, presenting a challenging recovery period for a contender like him, especially given his capability to compete directly with Tadej Pogačar, who is currently in excellent form.

This timing will also cause Vingegaard to miss the team’s high-altitude training camp before the Tour, which could affect his usual training effectiveness and limit his preparation time with teammates.

“It is clear that we contemplate two scenarios: one in which Jonas goes to the Tour and another in which he does not,” Plugge revealed to Revelo. “It all depends on his recovery.

In the end, we cannot go to the Tour for Jonas to defend the title if he is not 100 percent. It’s something we’re not going to go through.”

Plugge also mentioned that Wout van Aert is making a good recovery currently—his injuries from a crash that occurred eight days before Vingegaard’s were less severe.

Despite this, he missed much of the early season and has not yet resumed racing. Plugge noted that even Van Aert might not join Visma-Lease a Bike at the Tour this year.

Plugge addressed the safety issues prevalent in numerous races, highlighting several instances from recent seasons where spectators on the course have compromised the safety of competitors, sometimes leading to severe accidents.

As Plugge stated, “We have to protect the health of our athletes and our business… And we must take action as soon as possible.”