"Family men" Vingegaard and Pogacar support each other and call for change: "That’s very old-fashioned"

Earlier, Vingegaard said that if he wins the Vuelta, he would like to ride the Giro d’Italia. Winning all three Grand Tours is a dream for the climbing specialist. He also hopes to compete for the rainbow jersey at some point in the future, even though he is skipping this year’s World Championships in Rwanda.

That path requires many sacrifices, and Vingegaard admits it’s becoming increasingly difficult. As a family man, he struggles more and more with the time he spends away from home. “It has generally been a theme, for me as well as for Pogacar,” he told TV2. “This lifestyle demands a lot from riders. We are away from home a lot, away on training camps, and we push our bodies to the limit. That takes a toll.”

Of course, that’s part of a professional cyclist’s life, but that doesn’t make it easier for his family (Vingegaard has a son and a daughter, ed.). “In some ways, it makes more sense to be away for a race. That’s our job. Your kids don’t understand why you’re at a training camp, but they do understand that you’re racing because they can see you on TV. To them, training camps just seem kind of pointless.”

Vingegaard himself struggles with it too. He spends more time away from home than he would like. A three-week race is unavoidable, but the Dane argues for a different approach when it comes to training. He hopes to balance his family life with his career at the top of the sport. “It would be fantastic if you could combine it, so that you wouldn’t have to be away from your family for three weeks at a time. That’s very old-fashioned.”

After the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar admitted he needed a break. Not necessarily physically, but especially mentally: he needed to recharge. Vingegaard has spoken with his rival about how tough the lifestyle is. “He also said this sport is tough, and it is something that drains us massively. Especially with the spring campaign he had, followed straight away by training camps. As he put it, he had barely been home.”

Still, for the Slovenian it’s not quite the same. For Vingegaard, as a father, leaving his wife and children behind is particularly hard. “Having kids in this sport only makes it harder to be away from home. It’s the best thing that can happen to you, having children. But in cycling, it’s also incredibly difficult.”