Jonas Vingegaard returned to competition recently at the Cro Race, and at Il Lombardia he led an ambitious Jumbo-Visma. The result wasn't what he expected, but the Dane went all or nothing on the tough climbs of northern italy.
"The guys worked hard. For that, I'm grateful to them," the Tour de France champion said after the finish. "At the beginning of the race, I felt good. I was confident I would have a strong finish because the legs were strong." This led to Jumbo-Visma controlling the race, and set a strong pace at Madonna del Ghisallo to favour the pure climbers such as Vingegaard.
The Dane tried to follow the attack of Tadej Pogacar at Civiglio, but did not have the legs, eventually falling back into the chasing group, and eventually down the bunch as he exploded.
But in the end, I failed when it mattered most. It was a tough day. To be honest, I don't know if I would have been able to keep up with the best until the end if I hadn't blown myself up in the chase after that crucial moment," he said.
However, it was a decision that the Jumbo-Visma rider did not regret. "I missed a few percent. I tried to catch up and give everything, but I blew myself up. I had the option of riding much more defensively to sprint for fifth place, but I chose to play all or nothing and go for the win. I can conclude that I simply wasn't strong enough to contend for victory today," he explained.
He crossed the line in a modest 16th position, however at the end of a very successful season. "At the end of a fantastic season, that is not a disaster. I was focused on winning this race. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out like that," he concluded.
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