“The past two years I’ve just struggled” - Jonas Vingegaard lays bare long road back as early 2026 dominance shows peak form is close
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard’s commanding start to the 2026 season has raised a familiar question. Not whether he can win again, but whether he is finally moving back towards the level that defined him before his career-threatening crash at the Itzulia Basque Country in 2024.
The Dane has already delivered overall victory at Paris-Nice and followed it up with another controlled and authoritative performance at the Volta a Catalunya. Across both races, he has not simply won, but dictated the terms. Repeated attacks from rivals, particularly from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe in Catalunya, failed to dislodge him, while his own accelerations on the decisive climbs proved race-winning.
Yet despite those results, Vingegaard himself is not presenting this as a return to his absolute peak. Speaking to TV2 after sealing the overall victory in Catalunya, he admitted: “The past two years I’ve just struggled.”
It is a blunt assessment of a period that, on paper, still included major victories and podium finishes, but internally has been shaped by a long process of recovery. “I feel like I’ve spent the last two years fighting to get back to that level – and in a way, to the Jonas I was before my crash,” he said. “I feel, without consciously knowing it, that it has had a bigger impact than I thought.”
Progress, but not the finished product
The significance of those comments lies in what follows. For the first time since that crash, Vingegaard now feels he has reached that previous level again. “Now I’m back at that level and can maybe start to enjoy it a bit more.”
That sense of release has been visible in his racing. In Catalunya, he was not riding conservatively to defend a position. He was responding instantly to moves, choosing his moments and, when required, finishing the job himself. Even sustained pressure from multiple riders failed to expose any weakness.
But the most revealing line may be the one that looks forward rather than back. “I feel like I’m in good shape – not at my absolute best yet, but we made a plan with the team that I would progressively get better through the year. So I feel quite confident that I still have more in me.”
That is the detail that reframes his early-season dominance. These performances are not being presented as a peak. They are part of a build.
A return, and a warning
That progression carries clear implications for the months ahead. The Giro d’Italia looms as a new objective, while the Tour de France remains the ultimate reference point, where a renewed duel with Tadej Pogacar is expected.
If Vingegaard is already capable of controlling and winning races like Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya without yet reaching what he considers his best level, the trajectory becomes difficult to ignore.
For two years, the focus was on whether he could return. Now, by his own admission, that phase may be complete. The next step is not recovery, but improvement. And if his own assessment proves accurate, the level he has shown so far this season may only be the beginning.
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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- That’s a first point, everyone can have an off year or just stagnate before a new upward cycle. What would have been more interesting is including Skjelmose’s performance into the discussion, things have also been expected from him after several performances in the past but he hasn’t really progressed either, his TdF was basically what you would have expected but he’s 26 and been kind of stuck at this level for at least 2-3 years. Maybe he’s a late developer or maybe he needs something to change but as manager I’d be just as demanding and worried about both. Perhaps the recruitment concept was to have enough talent so at least one every year would be in shape and they’ve just been unlucky. Don’t want to rub it in but you could even say Mads lost a notch, so is it the riders or is it more to do with the team?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was also going to say that young pretty women are obsessed Pogi fan girls... who are chasing him. All glossy "____" (blank) about Tadej. PS: You can all fill in the "blank" yourselves, whatever you prefer. The definition of glossy is: It looks unusually shiny, glazed over, watery, or vacant/unfocused.PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- Are you able to discuss ANYTHING without making a reference back to your Special 1? It’s almost as if you’re paid by his marketing team to improve his ranking in search results.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- PogiSloFansUpToDate: The Tadej Pogačar Foundation has awarded scholarships for the 2026/2027 school and academic year in Slovenia. It received more than 60 applications from young people who have faced cancer, and all of them were approved. This year, Pogi's Foundation has therefore signed scholarship agreements with 63 recipients, totalling €166,000. This is almost double last year’s amount, when it awarded 35 scholarships worth €94,000. Pogačar: "We believe in you and your dreams. Now I’m cheering for you."PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- as we all like the david-style rebels, he will leave a gap.Ketterechts12-11-2026
- Oy, don't insult girlsHills3312-11-2026
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
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