Jonas Vingegaard admits crash concerns are higher than ever in the peloton: "The bike is dangerous, we’re going faster and faster. And we see more risk-taking"

Jonas Vingegaard heads into the 2026 season with a sharper awareness of cycling’s risks than at any point in his career.

Speaking to Marca, the Dane reflected on life after his 2024 crash in the Basque Country, the rising speeds inside the peloton, and why safety now weighs more heavily on his mind than ever before.

Vingegaard admitted plainly that the crash changed the way he views the sport: “I would not say fear, but definitely more concern than before. Before, I was perhaps more unaware: I thought I knew how to brake, how to handle the bike, that nothing would happen to me. But things do happen. The bike is dangerous, we’re going faster and faster. And we see more risk-taking.”

He added that the experience forced a shift in how he approaches the road: “After the crash I’m more worried about safety. Before I was unconscious: I believed nothing would ever happen to me.”

Despite the lingering effects of that crash a year and a half ago, Vingegaard believes he has worked his way back to the same physical level he held beforehand: “Before my crash I was on a very steep upward curve. Since then we have worked to get back to the same level I had before, and I think that’s where I am now. I hope I can return to that upward curve and improve further.”

He also spoke openly about the mental strain of modern cycling, arguing that today’s environment demands more than any previous era: “With what is happening in cycling today, I do not think we will see races as long as before. There is a lot of pressure, lots of data, lots of coaches all the time. It is very demanding. It would be good to think more about the mental side… Not every day you have to be perfect. Sometimes it is okay to have a beer, or a glass of wine, to be with friends. That is part of life too.”

Even with that added pressure, the Tour de France remains his ultimate target: “The Tour de France is so big that, if you have even a small opportunity, you want to go for it.”

On suggestions he might line up at the 2026 Giro d'Italia, Vingegaard kept things deliberately vague: “I can’t comment on anything for now. We haven’t decided what we’re going to do next year.” He did, however, reaffirm his fondness for the Tour–Vuelta double, calling it a rhythm that has always suited him.

Asked which single race he would most like to win before retiring, he answered without hesitation: “I think I would prefer the Giro d’Italia.”

And looking further ahead, his priorities are shifting: “First, spend time with my family and my children. It is something I am missing a lot now. That will be my priority.”

He also kept his short-term ambitions deliberately simple: “I would be very happy if I could have a season without breaks.”

Despite the risks he now acknowledges more readily, Vingegaard remains driven by the same long-term ambition: to one day conquer all three Grand Tours. And on the recurring question of how to beat Tadej Pogacar, his answer stayed true to his understated mindset: “The strongest man wins a Tour.”

A reminder that, even with a heightened sense of danger and the scars of a major crash behind him, he remains grounded, ambitious, and fully aware of the realities of a sport that gets faster – and riskier – every year.