“I won’t be going to the World Championships” – Jonas Vingegaard ends Rwanda dream to Danish disappointment

Jonas Vingegaard has officially withdrawn from the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, dealing a blow to Danish hopes of a historic Rainbow Jersey bid. The two-time Tour de France winner confirmed his decision on the eve of the Vuelta a Espana, citing concerns over recovery and the toll of back-to-back Grand Tours.

“I won’t be going to the World Championships,” Vingegaard stated firmly at a pre-Vuelta press conference. “It doesn’t fit into my schedule. I’m focusing instead on the European Championships.”

It’s a change in course that comes as a surprise, especially after Denmark’s national coach Michael Morkov had recently expressed confidence that Vingegaard would line up in Rwanda.

“It’s been the plan all along,” Mørkøv told Feltet.dk earlier this week. “When I spoke with Jonas over the winter, he made it clear he was motivated for the Worlds. He’s at a point in his career where his eyes are fixed on the big championships.”

Morkov had reason to be optimistic. The Worlds course in Rwanda, with its relentless climbing and high-altitude terrain, seemed tailor-made for a rider of Vingegaard’s profile. “The course really suits him,” Morkov added. “One of the key factors is the altitude – something Jonas has proven he handles extremely well, thanks to his body composition. Add in the amount of climbing, and you’ve got a very hard race. I think it’s an ideal route for him.”

Vingegaard had earmarked the 28 September road race at the start of the season, but ultimately chose caution over ambition, given the uncertainties surrounding his form post-Vuelta. “You need to be fresh to go to the Worlds, and that takes a lot out of a rider,” Vingegaard explained. “I don’t know how I’ll come out of this Vuelta, so I’ve decided to skip it. But I still want to ride the Euros.”

The European Championships will be held a week later, on 5 October, in the hilly French regions of Drôme and Ardèche — familiar hunting grounds for the Dane, who has won there before.

While the decision is understandable given the physical demands of a Grand Tour, it nonetheless marks another missed opportunity for Vingegaard to make his long-awaited World Championships debut. Despite his dominance in stage racing, the Dane has never contested the elite men’s road race at Worlds as a professional.

With high hopes dashed and the search for a Rainbow Jersey on hold once again, Denmark will now look to alternative leaders for its Rwandan campaign.