<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I lined up and tried. But I\u2019m most of all glad I didn\u2019t ride the Worlds \u2013 that would have been an even bigger disaster,\u201d he told Feltet with a small smile. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was possible for me to go to Africa. I had ridden both the Tour and the Vuelta, and I\u2019m honestly happy I didn\u2019t go to the Worlds. It would have been a waste of my time and everyone else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
A season that pushed him beyond his limits<\/p>\n
Vingegaard has been open about the toll his Vuelta a Espana triumph took on his body, and how it left him unable to train at all in the crucial weeks before the championships. \u201cI wasn\u2019t able to train for two weeks because I was simply too tired. Around the time of the Worlds I did my first training ride. It wasn\u2019t that I didn\u2019t want to \u2013 I just couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite a few encouraging sessions shortly before the Euros, his condition simply wasn\u2019t there. \u201cOf course we hoped I could do better. The training up to the Euros actually went okay and that gave us some hope, but it didn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet the Dane believes the disappointing showing served one important purpose: it silenced the recurring suggestion that he avoids national team duty by choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I would have liked to do better. But I lined up, and I\u2019m actually happy about that. It also proves why I\u2019ve withdrawn the other times. It\u2019s because I\u2019m exhausted and have nothing left to give,\u201d he assesses. \u201cI hope that instead of people saying \u2018Jonas can\u2019t be bothered with the national team\u2019, they now understand there\u2019s a reason I don\u2019t line up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ambition for 2026 \u2013 but with the right preparation<\/p>\n
Far from being put off by his bruising experience, Vingegaard insists he still wants another shot at international selection \u2014 but not under the same conditions. \u201cIf I were to ride the Euros or Worlds, I wouldn\u2019t do it if I\u2019d raced both the Tour and the Vuelta. I\u2019d want to prepare properly.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the 2026 World Championships offering a more manageable calendar layout, he isn\u2019t ruling out a return in Danish colours. \u201cThe Worlds is definitely a race I\u2019d like to ride next year, but it depends on how the rest of my season looks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vingegaard weighs in on DCU crisis: \u201cIt\u2019s a real shame\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside the discussion of his own form, Vingegaard also addressed the Danish Cycling Union\u2019s financial crisis \u2014 a situation that recently forced the temporary collapse of the national mountain bike programme and prevented young riders from attending the World Championships in Rwanda.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real shame that things have turned out like this. It mostly affects the talents because the elite riders get sent to the Worlds anyway. It\u2019s a pity they\u2019re not being sent. It\u2019s a bigger showcase for them. I hope they get things under control and find more sponsors and more money.\u201d<\/p>\n
While stars such as Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose and Jakob Fuglsang have already taken part in DCU\u2019s Ride for Denmark fundraising initiative, Vingegaard is unsure whether he can take on a similar role given his already overloaded schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can help in some way, I will. But it\u2019s hard to find the time \u2013 I\u2019m under enough pressure as it is. I don\u2019t really see that I have the time for it. I don\u2019t know if I can help in any meaningful way,\u201d he says. \u201cAs I understood Ride for Denmark, it\u2019s that they can join some rides, and if I\u2019m there as well, it gives them something.\u201d<\/p>\n
A brutally honest reset before 2026<\/p>\n
Vingegaard\u2019s reflections paint the picture of a rider who pushed himself beyond his natural limits in 2025 \u2014 and who is determined not to repeat the same mistake. His Euros collapse may have been painful, but it has shaped a new clarity for the seasons ahead.<\/p>\n
With proper preparation and a more balanced schedule, the rainbow stripes could yet become a genuine ambition in 2026. And this time, he insists, he wants to arrive ready.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI\u2019m glad I lined up and tried. But I\u2019m most of all glad I didn\u2019t ride the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,109416,9046,101,36242,56,54,55,49085],"class_list":["post-271967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-european-championships","tag-jonas-vingegaard","tag-sports","tag-team-visma-lease-a-bike","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-world-championships"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}