“The first days are hectic and stressful” – Expert warns Paris-Nice could be risky early return for Jonas Vingegaard

Jonas Vingegaard’s return to racing will not come gently. After weeks of uncertainty following his training crash and subsequent illness, the Dane has added Paris-Nice to his calendar, a race former national coach Anders Lund describes as anything but forgiving.

“It is a more brutal race than the alternatives,” Lund said in conversation with Eurosport. “It starts around Paris, where it can be freezing cold, it can almost snow. And the first days with crosswinds are often hectic and stressful.”

That opening phase is precisely where tension lies. Paris-Nice is notorious for nervous positioning battles and crosswind splits that can end overall ambitions before the mountains even appear. For a rider returning after a crash and disrupted preparation, those early stages take on added significance.

“Normally, Jonas is really good in these positioning battles and crosswind finales,” Lund explained. “But when you come back after a crash, it can be that you ride a bit cautiously and don’t take the biggest risks.”

Vingegaard’s 2026 build-up has already been shaped by interruption rather than design. A winter training crash in Spain was followed by illness that ruled him out of his planned season opener at the UAE Tour. The late withdrawal compressed his schedule and intensified scrutiny around his preparation.

Paris-Nice was not the original plan. But according to Lund, the adjustment makes sense within the broader calendar. “There had been a lot of speculation about what Vingegaard should do after the programme change. He was lacking race days, and Paris-Nice is a very good race to get them in,” Lund said.

The choice also avoids internal clashes. “The line-up around Tirreno-Adriatico was more general classification-heavy. Here it looks as though there was better room for Vingegaard, without him stepping in and interfering with his teammates’ ambitions.”

In isolation, it is a logical solution. In context, it becomes a high-intensity return at a moment when stability would normally be preferred.

Lund does not frame Paris-Nice as an all-or-nothing objective. With both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France on Vingegaard’s calendar, the season remains long and demanding.

“He has a long and hard season ahead of him with two Grand Tours,” Lund said. “Therefore, he can also use Paris-Nice as part of the preparation – perhaps without riding with a knife between his teeth to win the overall.”

That flexibility may prove crucial. “You can help regulate the hardness of the races you ride yourself,” Lund added. “It depends on where he is physically and what he can allow himself.”

The most important message, however, is simple. “Regardless, it’s just good that he is ready and able to race. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be on the start list.”

For Vingegaard, the return comes after a winter already marked by disruption and adjustment. Paris-Nice will not ease him back into rhythm. It will demand positioning, resilience and cold-weather composure from day one.

Whether it becomes a full-blooded general classification campaign or a carefully managed step back into competition may only become clear once the racing begins. What is certain is that the first test of 2026 will be anything but controlled.