"It's better with Jonas Vingegaard" - UAE boss laments main-rival's Volta a Catalunya absence

The fight for the overall win at the 2025 Volta a Catalunya is set to really heat up this Wednesday afternoon with a mountainous parcours set to really challenge the peloton. Although big names such as Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso and Richard Carapaz among others are expected to be in the mix, one rider who isn't present in Catalunya is Jonas Vingegaard.

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader had been planned to fight for the overall win at the Volta a Catalunya this week, but after a nasty crash at the recent Paris-Nice, the Dane is currently out of action for the foreseeable future with a concussion. Despite the absence of arguably their main rival though, UAE Team Emirates - XRG boss Joxean Matxin has been left lamenting the absence of the 28-year-old, two-time Tour de France winner.

"It's better with Jonas (at the start of the race, ed.). Not only because he's a great rider but also for the control of the race," explains Matxin in conversation with Feltet.dk from the start line in Catalunya. "With Jonas at the start, Visma would control the race, and then it's more comfortable for us."

According to the latest talk from the Team Visma | Lease a Bike camp, UAE and Matxin might have to get used to riding without the opposition posed by Vingegaard. Recently, sports director Frans Maassen told Feltet.dk that the Dane might not be seen in the peloton again until the Criterium du Dauphine, with that being the only race for Vingegaard between now and the Tour de France.

"We will make a final decision within the next couple of weeks. Yes, that plan is also a possibility," Maassen explained. "So far, we have a clear plan, but we still have to wait and see. The coaches need to think it through, and Jonas needs to think about it. He also has to talk it over with his family."