‘He has fire in his eyes’ - Encouraging Jonas Vingegaard update as Dane's 2027 preparations gather pace

Jonas Vingegaard may not have raced since his crash at the Tour de France in July, but the two-time winner is already looking ahead to 2027. The Dane has been spotted training in Mallorca, and according to former professional rider and Eurosport commentator Brian Holm, his motivation is certainly not lacking.

“I have heard from reliable sources that he has fire in his eyes,” Holm said on the Cafe Eddy podcast.

Vingegaard's 2026 campaign came to a premature end when he fractured his collarbone in a crash during stage 15 of the Tour de France. He opted not to race again, preferring to make a full recovery rather than try to race in 2026.  

It was a disappointing conclusion to what had otherwise been a strong season, with victories at Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro d'Italia, where he completed his collection of victories in all three Grand Tours.

The first images of the 29-year-old back on his bike emerged on social media in early October, when several amateur cyclists spotted him riding on Mallorca.

Holm also highlighted Vingegaard's decision to decline an invitation to a royal visit in Skive on October 9, suggesting that the Dane was unwilling to interrupt his training even for such an occasion.

“He has started training for next year. He is so professional that if he is down in Mallorca training, he is not going to bother flying home,” Holm explained.

Vingegaard is not the only leading Grand Tour contender getting an early start on next season.

Tadej Pogačar has also resumed training after the crash that ended his 2026 campaign at the Vuelta a España. The Slovenian suffered a fractured collarbone and a neck injury while leading the Spanish Grand Tour in August, forcing him to abandon the race and miss the remainder of the season.

Speaking at a charity event in Slovenia on Sunday, Pogačar revealed that he had already begun preparing for 2027, around a month earlier than in previous years. He returned to riding five weeks after his crash and has since resumed training following a short holiday with his partner Urška Žigart.

The five-time Tour de France winner also outlined three major ambitions for next season: the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España and the World Championships in France.

Although Pogačar admitted he would prefer to return to the Giro d'Italia, completing his Grand Tour collection by winning the Vuelta remains a priority. The Spanish race is the only one of cycling's three Grand Tours missing from his palmarès.

While another Tour de France victory will undoubtedly remain a major ambition for Vingegaard, the Dane has already suggested that he could take a different approach to his race programme next season.

Speaking to Feltet during the Tour of Denmark's visit to his hometown of Glyngøre earlier this year, Vingegaard expressed his desire to continue adding new races to his palmarès.

“There are still many races I haven't won. That is also something that motivates me,” he said.

Having won Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya for the first time in 2026, Vingegaard now has victories in five of cycling's seven major week-long stage races. Only the Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse remain missing from his collection.

But those are not the only races that could feature on his wish list for 2027. The World Championships in Haute-Savoie have also been on Vingegaard's radar for several years, according to Danish national coach Michael Mørkøv.

Vingegaard had initially hoped to represent Denmark at this year's World Championships in Montréal, but his Tour de France crash eventually forced him to abandon those plans.

“We have talked about it, and I mentioned it to him several years ago when we knew it would be held there,” Mørkøv recently told Eurosport Denmark.

The mountainous course around Sallanches could provide Vingegaard with one of his best opportunities to challenge for the rainbow jersey. The elite men's road race will feature approximately 5,700 metres of climbing over 265 kilometres, including 20 ascents of the steep Côte de Domancy.

For now, Vingegaard's focus is firmly on preparing for 2027, with his return to training in Mallorca offering an early indication of his determination to bounce back.