<\/p>\n
That context is now driving debate inside Denmark about whether the schedule still leaves enough room to prepare properly.<\/p>\n
A season reduced to three racesThe UAE Tour<\/a> was supposed to provide rhythm rather than results. Its removal has turned Catalunya into Vingegaard\u2019s sole competitive reference point before the Giro, placing far greater weight on a single week of racing.Speaking to TV2<\/a>, former professional Lars Bak was clear about what he feels is missing from that picture. \u201cI would really like him to get another stage race in before the Giro,\u201d Bak said.Bak\u2019s concern is not about volume. It is about sharpness and exposure to race stress. Vingegaard has trained heavily through the winter, but the crash disrupted continuity, and illness delayed his return to competition. \u201cHe has trained a lot, really a lot, but getting into race situations and putting speed into the legs\u2026 I do have my doubts about that if he only rides the Volta a Catalunya<\/a> before the Giro,\u201d Bak added.When preparation leaves no buffer<\/p>\n With only one race before the Giro, there is no room to recalibrate. Any issue in Catalunya now carries disproportionate weight, whether that is form, timing, or simple race rhythm.<\/p>\n That fragility is a direct consequence of how Vingegaard\u2019s winter unfolded. The training crash became a wider talking point across the peloton, but for him, it removed momentum at a key phase of preparation. Illness then completed the compression, leaving his spring built around a single competitive reference point.<\/p>\n