“We might have seen Jonas Vingegaard on the Tour podium for the last time”: Michael Rasmussen casts doubt on Dane’s future after crash
Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard's hopes of winning a third Tour de France came to a heartbreaking end when the Dane crashed out on stage 15 of the 2026 edition with a broken collarbone. Now, former Tour de France king of the mountains Michael Rasmussen believes the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader may never return to the podium of cycling's biggest race.
Pogacar remains too dominant for Vingegaard
Speaking as an analyst for Viaplay Sports News, Rasmussen questioned whether Vingegaard will be able to compete with Tadej Pogacar and an emerging generation of Grand Tour contenders in the years ahead.
“It could very well be that we've seen Jonas Vingegaard on the Tour de France podium for the last time,” Rasmussen said.
The former Danish rider based his opinion on what he saw before Vingegaard's crash, arguing that the two-time Tour winner simply could not match Pogacar's accelerations during this year's race.
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While Rasmussen expressed doubts about Vingegaard's future Tour ambitions, he was far more optimistic about Pogacar's prospects.
The Slovenian secured his fifth Tour de France title in 2026 and, in Rasmussen's view, remains comfortably ahead of the rest of the peloton. “I'd almost say until he retires. There's an enormous gap behind him that still has to be closed.”
He believes the difference between Pogacar and the rest of the field is far greater than the margins separating the other podium contenders. “The gap between first and second is much, much bigger than the gap between second, third and fourth.”
An uncertain return
Vingegaard had finished on the Tour de France podium every year since his debut in 2021, winning the race twice (2022 and 2023) before finishing runner-up in 2024 and 2025.
Following his crash on stage 15, the 29-year-old is currently sidelined with a broken collarbone, and it remains unclear when he will return to racing or what his next objective will be.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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