Jonas Vingegaard used his January media appearance with Team Visma – Lease a Bike to address one of the winter’s most unexpected storylines. The recent news of Simon Yates’ sudden retirement from pro cycling. The two-time Tour de France winner suggested Yates’ decision underlined how intense the modern peloton has become, even for riders at the very top.
“I’ve also been close to burning out,” Vingegaard said during the press conference, as reported by CyclingUpToDate. “That’s something I’ve spoken with the team about.” The news of Yates’ retirement caught the team off guard as he had already met with the team at training camps and was slated to begin his season at Paris-Nice.
On burnout
It was a rare moment of vulnerability from the Dane. He said that riders must feel able to speak up when the pressure starts to outweigh the rewards. Vingegaard also added that having people around him who notice those warning signs, particularly his wife Trine Hansen, has been crucial in helping him manage that balance.
The topic of burnout also tied into Vingegaard’s decision to overhaul his racing program in this year, he will be targeting both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
The double
Rather than seeing the Giro–Tour double as a bit of a gamble, he framed it as a calculated and motivating change. “The last five years I’ve done more or less the same programme,” he explained. “I really needed the change.”
According to Vingegaard, the team backed the idea after reviewing performance data from previous seasons. He pointed out that when he rode the Vuelta a España after the Tour, his numbers didn’t drop off. “We don’t believe that it’s a disadvantage for me to do it,” he said.
While Grand Tours remain his primary focus, Vingegaard may also dip his cleats in more one-day races this year. “I dream of performing well in one-day races,” he told WielerFlits after the Vuelta. “But I haven’t really discovered how to do it. The only time I won, it was after racing another one-day the day before, so you can’t really call that a proper one-day win.”
Although he did race the Euro champs–it didn’t exactly go well. Since turning pro in 2019, the Dane has started only 25 one-day races. World champ Tadej Pogačar, for example has ridden 84, and Remco Evenepoel, at 61. He’s only taken a single one-day win: the 2022 Drôme Classic.
Although he skipped the Rwanda worlds, Montreal might still be an option. The tough course would suit the multiple Grand Tour champ. How great would a battle royale between Pogi, Evenepoel and Vingegaard be over here in September be for us cycling fans?