POLL: How will Jonas Vingegaard's GC challenge go at 2024 Tour de France?

In exactly two weeks the 2024 Tour de France begins in Florence, Italy, and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is expected to try and defend his title. This however will perhaps be his most difficult Tour to date, as he will start without competing in months and after a lengthy recovery from serious injuries.

Vingegaard has won the 2022 and 2023 editions, beating Tadej Pogacar on both occasions, mainly due to his extreme consistency, time-trialing talent and ability to tackle the monster mountain stages and high-altitude. A tactic that Team Visma | Lease a Bike have fully taken advantage of, but may not have such an easy time doing so this year as Pogacar will be supported by the likes of Adam Yates, João Almeida and Juan Ayuso in the mountains. Vingegaard will not have Primoz Roglic on his side, whilst Vuelta a España winner Sepp Kuss did not show positive signs at the Criterium du Dauphiné.

We have also taken a look at what you think Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel respectively will be able to achieve at the Tour.

Vingegaard crashed out of Itzulia Basque Country on the 4th of April, fracturing a collarbone - which required surgery, ribs and suffering a punctured lung. He remained in the hospital in the Basque Country for almost two weeks, much to the concern of family and the team which aimed to take him to the Tour de France as the absolute leader. Until then, a spotless season with GC wins at O Gran Camiño and Tirreno-Adriatico, taking five stage wins along the way.

However everything changed at that moment. In mid-April Vingegaard managed to fly back home to Denmark, but it took a few more weeks until he could get back on the bike. This happened on the 8th of May, over one month after the crash. He travelled to Mallorca shortly after for two weeks of training in better weather, getting used to cycling once again.

On the 31st of May he travelled to Tignes, French Alps, for an altitude training camp of approximately three weeks in duration. He would not go on to try and defend his Criterium du Dauphiné title, but instead use only training ahead of the Grand Boucle. He was joined by Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte a few days later, and eventually the rest of the team's Tour block - including runner-up at the Dauphiné Matteo Jorgenson - will also join him. He's not the only Tour contender on the ski station, as Primoz Roglic has also made the trip to the famous French location.

We then look ahead of the Tour. No guarantee has actually been given that Vingegaard will race the Tour, but all signs point towards that being the decision. His form will certainly not be ideal at the start which may prove an issue, but last year Tadej Pogacar had similar approach to the race and was in flying form over the opening stages.