"It’s been a difficult season" - Marc Reef admits Jonas Vingegaard may not race again this season
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard already won a Grand Tour in 2026, yet his season will be evaluated with mixed sensations after a forced departure from the Tour de France following his crash on stage 15. The Danish climber suffered a complicated collarbone fracture and his racing return in the last part of this season is with a question mark.
Vingegaard's Tour de France has not been what he had imagined prior to the race; Tadej Pogacar dealt his GC ambitions heavy blow already in the first week and since then the Slovenian continued to expand his lead. But prior to stage 15, Vingegaard sat comfortably in second spot and ready to strike back at the world champion. But a moment of lowered focus cost the Dane the previous two weeks' work in an instant.
Speaking to TV 2 Sport, Visma's sports director Marc Reef opens by reflecting on Vingegaard's current health situation. The Dane had to undergo a surgery to treat his collarbone injury.
That has gone smoothly, Reef informs: "The operation went well, they did what they had to do, and it's not the most complicated operation you can have. Everything went well."
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As per Visma | Lease a Bike's original schedule for Vingegaard, the Dane does not have any further appointments planned for the rest of this season following the Giro-Tour double.
The doors were not closed to Vingegaard's participation in a few select races towards the end of racing season with eye on European Championships in Pogacar's homeland, but his team might choose a more conservative approach in the new circumstances.
"Plans for the rest of the season are something we have to discuss with Jonas after the Tour," says Reef.
Season over?
The sports director doesn not rule out the possibility that he might not even pin on a race number again this year:
"It’s been a difficult season. It’s possible that Vingegaard will return to cycling this year, although it’s also possible that he won’t."
It'll all ultimately come down to whether the 29-year-old wishes to end his season on a DNF and shift focus to next campaign, or whether he'd rather finish his season in different circumstances.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
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