"He's struggling with the fact that he really wants to race" - However, Jonas Vingegaard likely to only make 2026 debut in month and a half

For a third year in a row, Jonas Vingegaard is having his spring plans mixed up and disrupted due to outside factors. This time around, the Dane has postponed his season start at the UAE Tour due to a crash he suffered recently combined with an illness. This means that most likely, he will only make his debut in mid-March at the Volta a Catalunnya.

"Due to both the crash and the illness, he hasn't been able to train as well. Although I can't tell you exactly how long he was off the bike," team DS Grischa Niermann said in words to Wielerflits. "But it was so severe that we decided he wouldn't be able to get fit in time—or at least in top or very good shape—for the UAE Tour."

The team did not disclose details on the injuries Vingegaard sustained in the fall that was widely discussed, due to the possible involvement of an amateur rider; neither did it disclose information on the illness. However, it is possible that it has taken about a week or two of proper training from the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider, who then decided it was not the best decision to race the UAE Tour.

"It's obviously set him back a bit now. He's struggling with the fact that he really wants to race. But not if he's not fit. Jonas has indicated that he really wants to race and win races. But that's the next step".

Whilst Tadej Pogacar is only doing one-day races, and later the Tour de Romandie this spring; Vingegaard is similarly going to race a very small amount of race days, whilst both will prioritize training and time spent away from the spotlight so as to manage their mental energy.

It feels as if Vingegaard would be able to race UAE, however the decision was the safe one. "Ideally, you don't let a rider race if he's not 100 percent fit. But sometimes you can't avoid it. Especially with your leader, you absolutely don't want that. Then you have to make that decision. It's not a disaster, but it's a conscious decision not to do the UAE Tour."

A secondary plan for the time being is not made public. Most likely, the Dane carries on with just training until the 23rd of March, when the Spanish race begins. "First and foremost, we'll see how quickly he'll be fully fit again. After that, we'll see how things go with Jonas."