"Sometimes it's like banging your head against a wall" - Jonas Vingegaard ready to take responsibility over safety issues in pro races

Jonas Vingegaard is a rider that has went through a lot in terms of crashes throughout his career, and in his first race days of 2026, he has felt like security should take over the discourse in pro cycling. The Dane has elaborated on his thoughts regarding the Paris-Nice roads and the responsibilities of both organizers and riders.

"Sometimes it's like banging your head against a wall. But I'd say that one way or another, I feel a responsibility to make things better in cycling," Vingegaard said in words to TuttoBiciWeb. After stage 1, the Dane was highly critical of the roads the riders went through; and at the start of stage 2 he said he and his Visma teammates would not be at the front of the peloton fighting for positioning on the flat stage.

Instead, it was a frequent sight to see a group of yellow jerseys at the back of the peloton. Ultimately crashes did happen, but on such a scenario it would be possible to recover position quickly. Vingegaard has felt it was best to do so after what he saw on the opening day, his first race day in months.

"If we don't say anything, nothing will happen. I want to be the leader of the peloton not only for my results but also for safety," he stated. "The roads on the first stage were terrible, constantly veering off to the right and left. There were lots of potholes, and the final descent wasn't up to par for a World Tour race."

The leader of Visma is a rider that two years ago almost had his career and life ended by a fall at Itzulia Basque Country, crashing at high speed against rocks due to a descent that was poorly signaled and with tree roots creating bumps in the tarmac during a high-speed corner.

He had two punctured lungs, several broken ribs and a collarbone, injuries which he miraculously managed to recover from. But 12 months ago he suffered a harsh concussion after falling in this very race, and these are memories that do not go away.

With the two opening stages of Paris-Nice lacking the GC action, Vingegaard has focused on the safety aspect, and is also trying to discuss with other riders the topic so as to improve safety in the peloton, he assurs.

"It's a matter of reciprocity. It's clear that we riders also have a huge responsibility, but the same goes for the organizers. We can't just point the finger at everyone else,2 he warns. "Even yesterday, there was a lot of discussion in the peloton about how people behave. In general, we need to have more mutual respect in the peloton."