"The body simply has to heal. It needs the time to do so" - Jens Voigt advises Jonas Vingegaard to skip Tour de France and focus on Vuelta a Espana

Whilst his arch-rival Tadej Pogacar is preparing for the first leg of what he hopes will be a historic Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double, Jonas Vingegaard is currently resting and recovering from his horrific crash at the recent Itzulia Basque Country.

Although Team Visma | Lease a Bike have refused to confirm of deny whether the two-time, back-to-back Tour de France winner will return to the race later this summer, Eurosport expert and 17-time Tour de France starter, Jens Voigt believes there is no chance that Vingegaard will be challenging for the Maillot Jaune, even if by some miracle he is at the startline.

"The injuries and the operation have left a huge hole in his training plan that will not be able to be filled," the 52-year-old German explains to Eurosport. "I think Team Visma | Lease a Bike will have to change plans: they can take him with them as a stage hunter, especially for the second half of the Tour - but he probably won't be able to fight for victory yet, that will be too close. 98% isn't enough against Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogacar or Primoz Roglic; given the competition and the level of performance this year, that doesn't work."

Therefore, a change in targets is needed for the Dane and Voigt believes he can foresee what that might mean for the rest of Vingegaard's season. "The body simply has to heal first, it needs the time to do so - no matter how modern all the training methods and nutritional approaches are," he explains. "One option for him could be that he is fit again for the Olympic Games in Paris at the end of July and then sets his sights on overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana. But he won't be in winning form for the Tour and then he and the team will have to weigh up whether they think it makes sense for him to start as a noble helper and stage hunter.