Jonas Vingegaard fully ready to start 2024 season at Gran Camino: "The goal for this year is clear: we will try to defend my title"

Gran Camino is one of many Spanish races to be taking place over the opening month of the European season but this year it may end up being the biggest. The explanation is very simple, the presence of reigning Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard who once again chooses these roads to test his early-season form.

"Once again, we made a deliberate choice for this race. It was a choice with the bigger picture in mind," DS Robert Wagner added. "After the race in Spain, Jonas has two WorldTour races scheduled for the spring: Tirreno-Adriatico and Itzulia Basque Country. Camiño is ideal for getting in the necessary hard kilometres after training at altitude."

"We also really enjoyed the stage race last year. The organisation is excellent, the stages are challenging, and there is a time trial again. This discipline is essential for the rest of the season. This year's Tour de France ends with a time trial in Nice," he explains. Alongside Vingegaard, Cian Uijtdebroeks will also start his season here.

The Dane dominated the race last year winning all three stages (with the first day of racing having been cancelled due to bad weather), and wants to start off his 2024 campaign in the same way. He avoids the tracks of fellow Tour de France rivals and will be racing in Galicia this week, as the man to beat. He's joined by Uijtdebroeks who will also be a headliner in the race, and a mix of quality and new talent rising up in the team.

"I enjoyed the race in Spain last year. I won three stages and the general classification in my first race of the season. It's always nice to return as the reigning winner. The goal for this year is clear: we will try to defend my title," Vingegaard said in a press release. A time-trial and a difficult final mountain stage in Tui to wrap up the week will make for difficult challenges where the reigning champion will be able to show off his quality.

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"The last few months have been all about training camps. It went very well. In Tenerife, we put the finishing touches to our preparations for the start of the season," he tells. "After a wonderful time in Spain, I can't wait to start racing here."

Team Visma | Lease a Bike for Gran Camino:

Jonas Vingegaard, Wilco Kelderman, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Ben Tulett, Menno Huising and Tijmen Graat.