Visma calm about Vingegaard setback as UAE Tour start is scrapped

The decision follows a fall last week on a descent in training. The incident drew attention after Vingegaard and the team suggested an amateur rider, reportedly following close behind, played a part in how the crash unfolded. At the time the damage did not appear severe, but the knock, combined with illness, has disrupted his preparation enough for the team to step in and adjust the plan.

“Because of both the crash and the illness he has not been able to train as well,” Head of Racing Grischa Niermann told Wielerflits. “I cannot tell you exactly how long he stayed off the bike, but it was to such an extent that we decided he could not be fit in time, or at least not in top form or very good form, for the UAE Tour.”

Missing one race is rarely decisive, but it does break the rhythm of an early season build-up. Niermann suggested that is where the frustration sits for Vingegaard, a rider who prefers to race into form and who had been building toward a clear starting point. 

“Of course it sets him back a bit,” he said. “He is bothered by it because he really wants to race. But not if he is not fit. Jonas has said he really wants to race and win races. But that is only the next step.”

Visma’s stance is straightforward: a leader does not go to the start line undercooked, even if the team could probably get through the week on reputation and damage control. The UAE Tour is valuable, but the risk of forcing intensity when training has been compromised is not. 

“Ideally you do not let a rider race if he is not one hundred percent fit, but sometimes you cannot avoid it,” Niermann explained. “Especially with your leader you absolutely do not want that. Then you have to make such a choice. This is not a disaster, but it is a conscious choice not to do the UAE Tour.”

What comes next is still being shaped. The most likely return point is the Volta a Catalunya (March 23 - 29), but Niermann avoided presenting that as a fixed promise. “First and foremost we will look at how quickly he is fully fit again,” he said. “After that we will see what happens next with Jonas.”

The bigger picture remains unchanged. Vingegaard is expected to build toward the Giro d’Italia, with the Tour de France later in the summer also on the horizon.