Jonas Vingegaard has reiterated that he did not undergo with burn-out after profitable the 2022 Tour de France, insisting he simply stayed at house in Denmark and savoured his success.
After defeating Tadej Pogačar to win the Tour de France, Vingegaard missed each his house race, the Tour of Denmark and and solely returned to racing after a two-month break in late September on the low-key CRO Race in Croatia. Barring criterium appearances, he solely took half in Il Lombardia earlier than calling a halt to his season.
Though Jumbo-Visma sports activities director Frans Maassen stated in August that Vingegaard was having a troublesome time after the Tour de France due to further strain, and fellow Danish rider Michael Morkov advised that Vinegegaard was “little doubt exhausted” post-Tour, Vingegaard performed down the tales of post-July burn-out in a prolonged interview, printed by Het Laatste Nieuws (opens in new tab).
“That was all exaggerated, the media has created a narrative that wasn’t there. Why ought to I disguise?,” he stated, in line with the Belgian newspaper.
“I am nonetheless the identical Jonas I used to be earlier than my win. Quiet and peaceable.”
Requested straight what occurred after the Tour, Vingegaard answered merely “I celebrated my victory after which went house. It was no kind of than that.”
“We have been nonetheless excited about a Vuelta participation, nevertheless it was not excellent condition-wise. Significantly, I had enjoyable with family and friends. I took my time to loosen up and have a very good winter. As a Tour winner, everybody has an opinion about what it is best to and should not do, proper?”
“Everyone seems to be entitled to their very own opinion, I am unable to change that. All I can say is that it has no impact on me. I do not care . I solely take heed to the folks on the group.”
Vingegaard was on the centre of consideration each time he raced after profitable the Tour de France, even on the post-Tour criteriums and the tip of season Tour de France criteriums in Singapore and Saitama.
He advised they’re slightly completely different to actual races.
“You typically really feel like a circus monkey,” he joked. “In fact you can too say ‘no’ to such an invite. Then you do not really feel like a circus monkey, however then you do not have a financially sound deal both.”
Relating to the 2023 Tour and the absence of Primoz Roglic from the Jumbo-Visma line-up for subsequent July, Vingegaard stated he was not overly troubled because the race may have a really completely different really feel to 2022 in any case. He can be Jumbo-Visma’s sole chief.
“Will probably be completely different anyway. Primoz was the one who took me below his wing, my mentor inside the group. He’ll the Giro, that can be enjoyable for him,” Vingegaard noticed.
He admitted that Jumbo-Visma wouldn’t have the ability to perform the identical sort of two-pronged, two-leader assault over the Galibier as in 2022, once they remoted after which cracked Pogačar.
“With no Primoz there,” he recognised, “it is not going to be doable.”
Vingegaard denied that the rumours that he might need opted for the Giro d’italia would have been doable for 2023, as an alternative saying that though he’ll journey it someday, as he’s presently profitable the Tour, he’s all however obliged to return to France.
“I am trying ahead to going again with the primary jersey. I would be the sole chief. That creates – similar to the truth that I’m the defending champion – extra and on the similar time much less strain. I gained the Tour,” he defined within the HLN article.
“Typically I get up and must persuade myself it wasn’t a dream, however I understand how to do it now.”
“If I by no means win once more, I can all the time say that I succeeded as soon as. Alternatively, every part falls on my shoulders, however I can deal with that. No downside. It even feels comfy to be the defending champion.”
His targets for 2023, in any case, don’t simply embrace a Tour de France repeat win.
Having come so near taking a week-long stage race on the CRO Race, Vingegaard stated that he can be skipping the Ardennes Classics within the pursuits of going for a week-long stage race within the spring.
“For now I simply can’t handle to carry out in one-day races. I do not fairly know why that’s. I nonetheless have to get the hold of it,” Vingegaard admitted.
“Subsequent 12 months I’m aiming for an total victory in a stage race. I’ll journey Gran Camiño [Feb 23-26], Paris-Good [March 5-12] and the Tour of the Basque Nation [April 3-8]. These are concrete targets in the direction of the Tour.”
“Above all, I additionally need to begin the Tour recent. Possibly much more than this 12 months.”