🎥 Vingegaard gets second chance at a Vuelta celebration on home soil and confirms European Championship start alongside Pedersen

There had been rumors about Vingegaard's participation in the Ardèche for some time, but now he officially confirmed it at the press conference for his celebration. The party was held in Skive, a town about half an hour from his home in Glyngøre. “It was mainly because I wanted to go home and relax,” he told TV2, among others. “But I also wanted to celebrate something. That's why it ended up here in Skive. I had to go home.”

On the same day, the Danish Cycling Federation announced the selection for the European Cycling Championships in France. Vingegaard leads that selection, together with Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek, among others: a very strong team. “It means you have other cards to play – also with Skjelmose on such a tough route and also with Mads.”

It will be the first time that Vingegaard will represent Denmark at the highest level. At the European Championships, he will have to compete against Tadej Pogacar, among others, who will, of course, be the top favorite. He is skipping the World Cycling Championships in Rwanda, but the Dane is looking beyond this year: his sights are already set on 2026.

After winning the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023 and the Vuelta this year, the Giro d'Italia is still missing from the climber's list of achievements. Will he be at the start next year? The Tour still seems to be more important. “It's clear that's the only thing missing. And I've said that I'd like to participate in the future. However, I'm unsure if that will be possible next year. Only time will tell if you can combine it with the Tour de France.”

After the press conference, it was time to celebrate. A crowd welcomed Vingegaard, gathered in front of the town hall in Skive. There, he had the honor of unveiling a star commemorating his Vuelta victory. The municipality gave the Visma | Lease a Bike team leader an extra gift: a bicycle trailer. Luckily, Vingegaard found it funny.