“People are entitled to their opinions. I’m equally entitled not to care” – Jonas Vingegaard has no time for criticism of World Championship absence
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard has dismissed criticism surrounding his decision to skip this year’s UCI World Championships in Rwanda, insisting he has no obligation to explain or justify his race calendar to the court of public opinion.
The Danish Tour de France winner stirred disappointment last week when he announced he would not represent Denmark at the Worlds, despite previous suggestions that he intended to target the rainbow jersey. Speaking at a press conference just before the start of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, the 28-year-old made it clear that his focus had shifted.
“I won’t be going to the World Championships,” Vingegaard said bluntly. “It doesn’t fit into my schedule. I’m focusing instead on the European Championships.”
That pivot — and another withdrawal from selection — didn’t sit well with sections of the Danish cycling community. Social media lit up with frustration, many fans expressing disappointment that one of the sport’s biggest stars had opted out of a historic edition of the Worlds.
Unmoved by the backlash
But Vingegaard, characteristically unbothered, responded to the backlash with a mix of defiance and detachment in a fresh interview during the early stages of the Vuelta. “People are entitled to their opinions,” the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader told Feltet.dk. “And I’m equally entitled not to care. I have my reasons for the decision, and people should be able to understand that.”
Vingegaard hasn’t ridden at an elite-level World Championship before — his last appearance in Danish colours came as a U23 rider. For fans eager to see him finally don the national kit on the sport’s biggest one-day stage, the news came as a let down.
Asked directly if he could understand the disappointment, Vingegaard was candid: “Yes, I suppose I can. But it’s my decision, and people have to respect that.”
As the Worlds in Rwanda approach without him, Vingegaard seems unshaken. For a rider who built his career with quiet focus and ruthless precision, tuning out the noise may just be his most underrated skill.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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