Jonas Vingegaard BACK to racing - Visma leader adds Paris-Nice to schedule after derailed start to the season

Jonas Vingegaard initially planned to race the UAE Tour to start off his season but the combination of a crash and illness saw him lacking the form and thus abandon the initial plan. However this doesn't mean less racing for the Dane, who is a surprise announcement to Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Paris-Nice lineup within two weeks.

"Jonas Vingegaard will take the start in Paris-Nice in March. After having to cancel his participation in the UAE Tour due to a crash and illness, the double Tour de France winner quickly shifted his focus," the Dutch team wrote in a statement this afternoon.

Vingegaard raced Paris-Nice last year, however he was not in his best form; being defeated by João Almeida at La Loge des Gardes on stage 4; before crashing on stage 5 and finishing the stage with a concussion. His injuries saw him miss out on the remaining spring calendar, which would include the Volta a Catalunya as well. He is now ultimately combining the French and the Catalan race together once again, to form his sole racing block before racing the Giro d'Italia later this May.

“I am excited to be at the start of Paris-Nice once again. It is a prestigious race with a lot of history," the Dane said. "As a team, we have a title to defend here. After crashing and falling ill, I took the necessary time to recover. Now I feel ready to start racing again and am looking forward to it after a long winter of training.”

He is not finding a route that is perfectly suited to him however, with the lack of a high mountain stage; and with a set of hilly stages set to decide the overall classification together with the stage 3 team time trial. He will nevertheless be one of the main contenders, if not the man to beat in France. The likes of João Almeida, Juan Ayuso, Oscar Onley and Mattias Skjelmose are all expected to be present however.