The Dane Jonas Vingegaard wanted to retire from sports and give up on his goals.
Double winner of the Tour de France, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard is writing the history of cycling and his country. Also winner of the Critérium du Dauphiné or the Italian Tirreno Adriatico race, the Visma Lease a Bike rider is however less impressive in terms of results than his great rival, Tadej Pogacar.
This difference between the two men could have been irremediable. Almost a year ago, on April 4, 2024, Jonas Vingegaard was the victim of a very serious fall during the Tour of the Basque Country. If he thought he was going to die that day, he especially considered ending his career once the convalescence was over.
Victim of a fractured left clavicle, broken ribs, a pulmonary contusion and a pneumothorax, the runner had great difficulty recovering. “Trina (Jonas Vingegaard’s wife, editor’s note) was pregnant, I had a hard time putting up with it,” he admits in an interview with the Danish channel DRTV. “When I was lying on the ground, I thought that if I survived this, I would end my career.”
With his wife by his side, Jonas Vingegaard recalled his feelings just after the accident. “I can’t breathe for the first ten seconds. Even then, I know something is wrong. When I can finally breathe again, I cough up blood. I then think I have internal bleeding, which means I’m either going to choke on my own blood or die from hemorrhage,” he explains.
Ultimately, Wout van Aert’s teammate continued his career and fought his way back to racing. “At the hospital we talk about it a lot and we both think I should always continue, because it’s my passion,” he added.
Three months later, Jonas Vingegaard was lined up for the Tour de France and offered good resistance against Tadej Pogacar, offering himself a stage victory and a podium that looked like a victory. A few days later, he also won the Tour of Poland before ending his season to take advantage of the birth of his second child.