"Next winter we will look at his programme again" - Jonas Vingegaard and Visma plan further talks after Dane came close to retirement
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike are preparing for further talks with Jonas Vingegaard this winter after the Danish rider confirmed that he almost walked away from cycling over winter.
Vingegaard told media on Sunday that he approached the Dutch team's management last winter and asked for a change to his schedule and his preparation for races as they came to an agreement to give the rider greater influence on his programme.
He felt that the focus on training and nutrition as well as long periods away from family had led to him becoming unhappy during the 2025 season, despite winning the Vuelta a Espana after second place at the Tour de France.
Vingegaard's 2026 has proven successful as he won Paris-Nice, Vuelta a Catalunya and the Giro d'Italia, with Vingegaard himself noting that the season has been a step in the right direction.
Visma sports director Marc Reef confirmed to media that the team and Vingegaard had held talks last winter, and he expects there to be further changes in 2027.
“We are always speaking with him, and that was also the case at the end of last year,” Reef told In de Leiderstrui on Tuesday.
Vingegaard had originally been planned to ride UAE Tour
Originally slated to participate at the UAE Tour earlier this season, the Dane's new schedule involved the Giro-Tour double, which saw him complete the grand tour set and take home the pink jersey.
“That is how the programme we have now came together,” Reef said. “The Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France were the two main goals. The UAE Tour was originally part of it as well.”
Reef sees the positive impact the rider and team's discussions have had as he hinted that the team are not treating it as an isolated case.
He added: “I think everyone has been able to see since the winter that he is happy. That has been the case every time he has raced."
“Jonas is very open, he feels comfortable within the team and everything has gone very well so far.”
Visma and Vingegaard plan further talks
The dialogue never stopped between rider and team, and Reef said that further talks over winter are planned when it comes to Vingegaard's plans for 2027.
“We are always talking to each other, so next winter we will look at his programme again,” Reef said.
Vingegaard's original comments caused considerable surprise that one of cycling's biggest riders was close to walking away from the sport. Vingegaard explained how they came to an agreement.
Read also
“I said last year that if this was how it was going to be, I couldn’t be in it anymore,” Vingegaard told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Sunday.
“That’s also why we changed some things. I also think the team realised that this was how it was, and they could also tell from me that I wasn't happy last year. They accepted that we had to change something, and we did.”
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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Riding a mountain bike off road after his injuries is not very responsiblecaptmike15-11-2026
- disagreed. in this year's tdf he was unable to ride away from the young guns in the stages before his crash. there were several riders at least close to, if not on, his level in the second week: seixas, remco, del toro, lipo. next year jonas is a year older and the younger riders gained a year of experience and strength. if you then try to skip part of the high altitude training ... i doubt that jonas will make the podium at tdf 27. for sure he is not the favourite for runner up. he will be in the mix, yes. but not THE favourite for 2nd place.Ketterechts15-11-2026
- That means you're Austrian, like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was born close to Gradc, very close to Maribor. We used to do a lot of shopping in Gradc in the 70's and 80's, when Slovenia was still a part of communist Yugoslavia. Today we have good relationships with the Austrians. Many Slovenians are working there.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- headline criticism agreed. but otherwise he certainly has a point. you can negotiate extra perks if you are way above he rest ... however, these times have long gone ...Ketterechts15-11-2026
- WTF is Pogi's hater Zonneveld talking about??? He was against Pogi waving to Slovenian fans from an organisation car as fans caught a glimpse of Pogi at the European Championships in Slovenia. The S.O.B. couldn't resist poking fun at his attention-grabbing appearance. What Zonneveld says has no relevance.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- ❤️Lozza15-11-2026
- The greatest ever is a crazy claim. But in discussions about sport in our local media, among people with no particular interest in cycling, he has been the first person they've thought of when giving examples of exceptional athletes.Hills3315-11-2026
- Urska may be less keen on a cafe if keeping it afloat will fall to her, so maybe just a nice dream!Hills3315-11-2026
- Raise thine hand if the money you have made for retirement slips away on poor investments.Most of us will outlive our financial comforts because we don't have the financial acumen to ensure a comfortable lifelong retirement and that is a statistical fact not my opinion.Many millionaires have pissed their money away or had it taken away by so called conniving "financial advisors".The world of wealth is a dangerous place that most of us will never experience nor appreciate.
Brucegel15-11-2026 - You are interested in Pogi for one reason only, you feel like you are somehow related because you share some vague geographical identity. Other than that you have very little interest in cycling as all your posts show, if it can’t be connected to Pogi you have nothing to post. That said, recent activity here shows we are attracting quite a crowd from his region.Jumpyjohn15-11-2026
Loading
4 Comments