Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France mountain jersey. © ANSA / GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

Vingegaard considered resigning: “I was not happy”

Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard apparently considered ending his cycling career last year.

July 14, 2026

From: dpa/dl

“Last year I said: If things are going to continue like this, then I can’t do it anymore. That’s why we changed a few things. I think the team also realized what the situation was. They noticed that I wasn’t happy last year,” the 29-year-old told Danish TV station TV2 on the sidelines of the Tour de France.

His Visma team accepted that things needed to change, Vingegaard said. "And that's exactly what we did." It's not ideal to do the same thing every year. The current runner-up in the Tour de France also addressed the significant sacrifices that cycling entails. "As a professional cyclist, you feel like you're constantly on a diet. You always have to watch your weight and are constantly training. A lot is demanded of you. That takes its toll on both body and mind," Vingegaard emphasized.

"Being a professional cyclist demands a lot from you. It takes a toll on both body and mind." jonas vingegaard

The father added that being away from his family for extended periods was also difficult. "When it's hard to be away from home for so long, you have to choose a different approach – that's exactly what we did for me this year," said Vingegaard, whose contract runs until 2028.

Hat trick in the Grand Tours

The Dane participated in the Giro d'Italia for the first time this year and secured a dominant victory. This makes him only the eighth rider in cycling history to win all three Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España) – a feat still missing from his rival Tadej Pogačar's record. The world champion has yet to win the Vuelta a España.

Jonas Vingegaard is the second-best cyclist of our time. © APA/afp / BERNARD PAPON

Even after his serious crash at the 2024 Tour of the Basque Country, Vingegaard's career was in doubt. However, the Dane made a strong comeback and finished second in the Tour de France behind Pogacar in each of the last two years, although he was no match for the Slovenian. This year, his deficit is already considerable again.