Jonas Vingegaard blasted by former Danish cyclist - "He doesn't want to compete for fear of losing face again and disappointing all of Denmark"
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard has been hit with heavy criticism on the weekend of the World Championships, with a former Danish cyclist claiming that the Visma | Lease a Bike rider has no intention of winning the rainbow jersey.
Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour de France with a broken collarbone, and some weeks later, confirmed he was ending his 2026 season as a result of the injuries. Speculation did emerge that the 29-year-old could be in line for a surprise return in Montreal before the team confirmed that was not the case.
A two-time Tour de France winner and stage racer, Vingegaard rarely races one-day races and last represented Denmark at the 2025 European Championships in an underwhelming performance that saw him fail to finish after dropping from the bunch earlier in the race.
He has only represented Denmark at the World Championships on one occasion, competing in the under-23 road race at the 2018 championships.
In the Café Eddy podcast, former Danish rider Brian Holm claimed that Vingegaard doesn't want to compete for the rainbow jersey, implying that he believes that Vingegaard could have raced in Montreal on a circuit that suited his climbing credentials and without an injured Tadej Pogacar for company.
Jonas Vingegaard
Brian Holm criticises Jonas Vingegaard
He said: "My theory is that Jonas has no desire to become world champion. Even if he were told that he was guaranteed the world title on Sunday, he would still prefer to have the day off."
Noting that the Visma rider doesn't seek the fame or attention of winning big races, he also claims that Vingegaard is fearful of disappointing in his nation's colours.
"He doesn't want to compete for fear of losing face again and disappointing all of Denmark.
"Vingegaard is completely different. He prefers to avoid all that. He's not into all the celebrations and champagne receptions."
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Other analyst agreed with Vingegaard decision to end season
Meanwhile, former Tour de France stage winner Nicki Sorensen backed Vingegaard’s decision to end his 2026 season at the time. Sorensen believes the call was entirely logical given the volume of racing, altitude work and preparation Vingegaard had already packed into the season.
“For me, it is completely understandable,” the TV 2 Sport cycling expert said. “He has really gone for it this year and raced a lot, and he has also approached the whole thing very, very seriously. For a large part of the time when he hasn’t been racing, he has been at altitude training camps.”
“I had actually expected that once his Tour de France was over, we wouldn’t see any more of him,” he said. “Then he crashes and abandons halfway through the race, but they have chosen to end his season anyway, and I completely understand that.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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