Jonas Vingegaard received message from Tadej Pogačar after crash: ‘At first, the rivalry was much less friendly’

Jonas Vingegaard saw his Tour de France dream literally come crashing down in a heavy fall. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider broke his collarbone, but he was back at the Tour of Denmark—not as a rider, but as a guest in his own village of Glyngøre. There, the Dane discussed several subjects, including his relationship with rival Tadej Pogačar and his plans for the remainder of the season.

Having to abandon the Tour was naturally a major mental blow for Vingegaard, although the Dane has fought his way back from setbacks before. He is therefore already looking ahead. “I’m starting to feel the urge to race a little,” he told TV2. “It would have been fantastic to race today. But you cannot exactly ride a race with one hand tied behind your back.”

The last time Vingegaard was sidelined by a serious crash, he returned to competition surprisingly quickly. Whether he will be able to do the same this time remains uncertain. “I honestly don’t know yet. It depends on how the collarbone responds, how it heals and how the recovery progresses. The World Championships in Montréal, Canada, have not been ruled out for me, but I also don’t want to say now that it is definitely going to happen.” Vingegaard has not been back on his bike since the crash.

Should a return this season prove impossible, his focus will shift to next year. The two-time Tour de France winner already has a clear idea of how he could approach it. “We focused on that this year as well, and that is why I won three races this season that I had never won before. Next year, we will also target a few races that I have never managed to win.”

Vingegaard has previously spoken openly about when he might retire. His contract with Visma | Lease a Bike runs until the end of 2028, when he will be 32. “I have not decided when I will stop. Time will tell. If I reach the end of 2028 and feel that I no longer want to do it, then I will stop—but I might also continue. I simply don’t know at the moment. There are still many races that I haven’t won, and that is something that motivates me as well.”

Plenty has been said about the relationship between Vingegaard and Pogačar. The two superstars have produced several memorable Tour de France battles over the past five years, and their rivalry has occasionally appeared heated. After Vingegaard’s crash, however, that competitive tension was temporarily put aside. “Tadej sent me a message. I was genuinely pleased about that. I’m simply happy that he was thinking of me, and I think it is cool to see how the rivalry is developing.”

“At first, our rivalry was perhaps a little more—not hostile, but not particularly friendly in a certain way,” Vingegaard explained. He is pleased that their relationship has since changed. “It has become much friendlier over the past few years. I think that is really cool. Sometimes we have a good conversation.”