"Why has he never challenged for a World Championships?" - Jonas Vingegaard's early season ending heavily questioned
CyclingMonday, 17 August 2026 at 17:34
Jonas Vingegaard has brought his 2026 season to an end, almost a month exactly after his withdrawal from the Tour de France. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has suffered a fractured collarbone that required surgery but, despite there still being two months of season left, the Dane will stay off the peloton all the way into 2027. Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn analyzed the decision on the CyclingUpToDate Podcast.
Vingegaard had a crash and illness come in the way of his early-season plans, with the Dane opting out of the UAE Tour. As an alternative, he raced and won Paris-Nice, whilst then convincingly conquering the Volta a Catalunya. Vingegaard raced the Giro d'Italia for the first time in May, taking his first pink jersey on his debut - and completing his Grand Tour set.
At the Tour, he sat in second place when on stage 15, a crash saw him hit a road curb, fracturing his collarbone and leading to an immediate withdrawal. Now almost four weeks later, he has taken a decision on the remainder of his season.
"It's one of those worst kept secrets," Quinn said. "In the case of, you know, wanting a better balance between life and cycling and training and choice of his goals. And I'll admit that in the days after the crash, I kind of wrote off the rest of his season".
In the past few weeks, there had been speculation on whether he would return to racing, and if so, what races he would aim for. The 29-year does not have a history on the one-day races, but a return to competition was still a very likely scenario.
"I thought from Jonas Vingegaard's perspective, he won't want to rush back. He won't want to rush back for, I don't know: A World Championships, a Lombardia participation. And if I was Jonas Vingegaard, I'd be thinking next season already. So it's not too surprising for me".
Instead the decision is to not race anymore until 2027, meaning Vingegaard has several months of training ahead with no specific goal in mind, and no racing at the very least for another five months - whilst he has already returned to racing in the meantime.
"But the wording is definitely interesting that he'll decide what he does next year. And I don't know what that is yet. I could see him doing something different, maybe even some spring, like a bit more spring racing, even the one day race here and there as well".
2027 start in January for Vingegaard?
Rúben Silva believed that the chances of the Dane retiring, despite having a contract until 2028, were not impossible. Recently, Vingegaard admitted that at the end of 2025, there was a barrier between the two parties and if there weren't changes, Vingegaard would depart the team.
"I didn't exclude it fully. I mean, I think it would be extremely unlikely, but I think he has accomplished everything that he can accomplish, pretty much. I mean, he's won the Tour twice and it's going to be very hard for him to do it again, in my point of view".
"He won the Vuelta last year, he won the Giro this year. I think that it would be a major shame because in my opinion, he continues to be the second best stage racer in the world... But if you ask me if he's going to win the Tour again, I don't think so. And I think that he's someone that's probably already very happy with having won the Giro and the Vuelta and wouldn't necessarily need to do it again".
Vingegaard will remain in the peloton and with Visma, but will continue to maintain his own schedule and wishes. The duo also argued on the matter of how Visma's management handles the Dane's lack of racing in the final months of the season. But with such a long break from racing, there could be a fresh start and new goals for 2027.
"He could start the season earlier, too. Not that he's known for starting his seasons late, that's not something that he particularly does, but you could maybe see him do what Chris Froome did in one of his years at his prime and go to the Tour Down Under at the time and the Herald Sun Tour. I don't think maybe it fits Vingegaard the best, but finishing his season in July, he's got more than enough time to recover and build a base".
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Could Vingegaard at his best challenge Pogacar at the World Championships?
But Silva puts in a big question mark on Vingegaard's decision, arguing there is reason to return to racing even if he wouldn't find his very best form once again. "We still have two months of season left. And he does say here that 'the start of my training has been delayed'. He is training already. And even though he wouldn't reach his best form, he wouldn't be asked to go on an altitude camp at this time of year.
"He could still do some races towards the end of the season, even if it's for the experience, even if it's to help teammates," he argues. "I did think that he was still going to pick it back up. So that does come as a surprise to me, because it's a big period now without doing any racing or just having any goal, really".
On several instances, Jonas Vingegaard has been the only one to follow Tadej Pogacar in hilly terrain
The two agree that a race like Liège-Bastogne-Liège could in the future become a goal for him if he puts his full focus on it, as it is a race now won yearly by climbers.
Quinn on the other hand believes the Dane is leaving some of his potential off the table.
"Why has he never challenged for a World Championships? It's not like there hasn't been terrain that hasn't suited him. For example, Rwanda last year was a very climbing heavy World Championships," he argued.
"Perceivably, he could medal at the very least. People say he's not a one day racer, but if you look at the first couple of days of Tour de France over the past five years, he's more than capable of beating Pogacar and the rest". Performances at the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Tours have repeatedly shown Vingegaard following the World Champion on short and explosive climbs, bringing to the spotlight his ability when well prepared.
"So what's to say if he actually trained for a one day performance that he can't also put up to Pogacar?"
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- I single out Postal and everyone associated - I don’t believe the other dopers took measures to destroy people who criticized them, unless I’m mistaken.Crashjames17-08-2026
- Best wishes for next year, young man, as you finalize your contract with the **CMA CGM Team**. But for 2028, don’t chase the money—chase the **legacy**. Join EF Education–EasyPost; hopefully by then they’ll have a sponsor big enough to afford you! They’re the kind of team that could build a team around your growth and give you the weapons to take down Pogi and Del Toro. The money will come eventually, but **legacy lasts forever—and maybe you can finally bring France another Tour de France champion after more than 40 years!wambo17-08-2026
- I don't know, maybe you're right about the podium in TdF, but if Seixas and Del Toro keep improving at this rate, it's gonna be tough.PogiSloFans17-08-2026
- Hmm, the butterfly effect sounds interesting.Hills3317-08-2026
- He finishes top 10 and maybe a podium on a stage. Can't see him beating Tadej for sure.mij17-08-2026
- that's what I would call a word salad, that makes no sense.Crashjames17-08-2026
- Does Pinarello just pick up the best riders they want from Ineos and then end that relationship, focusing on their own team? Their own brand?mij17-08-2026
- Yes, I was thinking he could have gone straight for all the GTs. The level at the top would not have been quite so competitive to start with.Hills3317-08-2026
- I hope Coquard can win a stage. He was needlessly trashed last year during the tour with Jasper's crash.mij17-08-2026
- agreed. and to the "oh, I'm so proud of him prioritizing his family crowd", he can do so because of (a) the 5 million he makes and (b) his employer doesn't hold him accountable. the haters on here will say "don't knock him for making his priorities his family". well my # 1 and only priority is my family. I'd love to be around them, but I haven't made enough money in 1 year to buy investment properties and retire for life. I get it that he is injured, but his story is exhausting. The only thing I disagree with is your podium comment. He could make it back on.mij17-08-2026
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