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Jonas Vingegaard returns to the place where it all began for him
His battle with Tadej Pogacar has been the highlight for last years. After winning two editions of the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, this year Jonas Vingegaard came second in the world’s biggest bike race. At the finish line, he announced that it was time to return to Poland, where his great career had begun.
It was August 8th 2019. A beautiful mountain stage from Zakopane to Kościelisko. Three riders broke away from the small group: Pavel Sivakov, Jai Hindley and Jonas Vingegaard. The first two already had a reputation and successes, the third was known to virtually no one. But it was the 22-year-old Dane who surprised his rivals with a strong attack at the finish and won the first World Tour stage of his life.
“It doesn’t get to me what happened here” – he told equally surprised journalists at the finish line. In addition to his first victory, these were his first television interviews. When a photographer tried to tag him in social media, it turned out… that the Dane didn’t have any.
Until August 8th 2019, hardly anyone had any idea of the potential of Jonas Vingegaard.
Except maybe the Jumbo-Visma team, which decided to take a risk and invited the young Dane as an intern. Back in time the Dutch team was building a team to dethrone Ineos in Tour de France and other biggest races. Young riders were subject to a very detailed tests. These showed an extraordinary potential in Vingegaard’s body.
Jonas has been in cycling for years, but until 2019 his talent had not been discovered on the big stage. He won his first race as an 11-year-old and has always trained with a club since then. In 2016, he joined the Danish team ColoQuick-Cult, but cycling was not enough to earn for a living. He had a parallel job at a fish market and then in a factory.
Finally, it was an opportunity from Jumbo-Visma and a stage win in Poland, that opened the door for him.
Over the past five years, VIngegaard has turned into a multi-stage races domiator, with a natural ability to climb big mountains, although his time-trials are nothing short of great either. He had everything to win the grand tours. In 2022 he took the Tour de France, surprising many and beating the much more notorious Tadej Pogacar. He repeated the success in the following season.
Jonas also has four Tour de France stage wins to his credit, as well as overall victories in such prestigious one week races as: Tirreno-Adriatico, Criterium du Dauphine and Itzulia Basque Country. Now he will try to add the Tour de Pologne GC win to his Palmares.
For him, this year is above all a battle with himself. In April, Jonas was involved in a fatal crash on the fourth stage of Itzulia Basque Country. In addition to his collarbone, the Visma team leader broke several ribs and was diagnosed with pneumothorax. He underwent two surgeries.
In view of these events, a second place in this year’s Tour de France must be considered as a very impressive thing. In Poland Vingegaard will arrive as the big favourite.
Fot. Szymon Gruchalski