He is back.
Resting since his victory in the Tour de France, consumed on July 24, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard will participate from Tuesday to Sunday in the Tour of Croatia, his Jumbo-Visma team said on Monday.
In an interview published Monday by the Danish daily
Ekstra Bladet
, the 25-year-old runner explains that he needed to "[se] relax" and experienced "a funny feeling" after his success in the Grande Boucle, at the end of a high-end duel with Tadej Pogacar.
"All year, you prepare for the Tour de France, and suddenly it's over, and then it's like... I don't want to say 'empty', but it's a funny feeling," says -he.
“It is rare to have two months without running”
“I can handle the pressure.
It also makes sense to be protected from time to time and to be able to relax a bit.
It's been a good time, and it's rare to have two months without racing, but the team allowed me to do it, and I'm really happy about it,” he added.
In the meantime, Vingegaard has given up competing in the Tour of Denmark on his land and then the World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, to the great regret of his national coach, Anders Lund.
To explain these impasses, the sports director of the Jumbo-Visma, Frans Maassen, had mentioned in mid-August in the
Ekstra Bladet
the “difficult times” crossed by his rider.
“I understand that the spectators want to see Jonas, and I spoke to him about it yesterday.
But he had very difficult moments after the Tour,” he said.
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Cycling
Jonas Vingegaard
Tour de France
Croatia