Jonas Vingegaard (Hansen) will line up Sunday at the European championships in France, a surprise inclusion in a peloton where the two-time Tour de France winner is anything but a regular face. For all his dominance on stage races, the Dane has barely dipped his toes into the one-day calendar during his professional career. But that changes in a few days.

Since turning pro with Visma – Lease a Bike in 2019, Vingegaard has started only 25 one-day races. That’s a fraction compared with Tadej Pogačar, who has ridden 84 in the same period, or Remco Evenepoel, at 61. His résumé includes just one victory: the 2022 Drôme Classic.

The recent world championships in Rwanda definitely suited the Dane, but he declined. In fact, Vingegaard hasn’t raced the worlds as a pro–only as an under-23.

The Dane has done fewer and fewer one days. Sure, he is obviously one of the strongest riders in the peloton, but he hasn’t shown this in a one-day race.

Can Vingegaard take the one-day race?

Vingegaard rode a full set of classics early in his career, but since finishing 16th at Il Lombardia in 2022, he has started only once—at the 2024 Clásica San Sebastián, where fatigue and lingering injuries forced him out early. Sunday’s start in the Ardèche will be his second one-day in three years, and his first championship appearance in the beautiful Danish national team kit.

Interestingly, the region in France holds special memories for him. His lone one-day win in 2022 came just a short spin from this Sunday’s finish in Guilherand-Granges. Yet the course at Europeans is expected to play out differently. There are repeated climbs and heavy favourites who have…well, a bit more experience in one-day chaos.

Plus, it’s legit stacked. Remco Evenepoel is there, after an incredible world championship TT win…and an emotional silver in the road race.

Oh yeah, some dude named Tadej Pogačar will be there. But even if he wins, his Euro jersey can’t usurp his 2.0 rainbow kit.

Vingegaard admits he’s still searching for the secret to success outside stage races.

“I dream of performing well in one-day races,” he told WielerFlits after winning this year’s Vuelta. “But I haven’t really discovered how to do it. The only time I won, it was after racing another one-day the day before, so you can’t really call that a proper one-day win.”

The Euros await

The Dane says his uncertainty comes down to preparation. “I don’t know what to do the day before—whether to ride easy or go hard. I know guys who train for three hours as if it’s a race. Maybe that’s the recipe. I’ll have to try.”

For now, Europe’s biggest climber enters Sunday’s race as a wildcard: dangerous on paper, untested in practice.

It’s gonna be an epic battle, and Canadian Cycling Magazine–far from Europe, will report on one of the biggest races at the end of the year!