Hand injury still troubling Vingegaard: No Tour of Catalonia for Visma’s unlucky rider

Jonas Vingegaard had a strong start to his season, winning the final time trial at the Volta ao Algarve and securing the overall victory. In Paris-Nice, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider seemed to continue his good form, but a crash in stage five dashed his ambitions. The multiple Tour de France winner crossed the finish line in tears of disappointment. A day later, the team’s medical staff decided that Vingegaard would not continue the race. The Tour of Catalonia will also come too soon for the Dane.

After the crash in Paris-Nice, it became clear that Vingegaard could not continue due to a hand injury. It was mainly a precautionary decision at the time, but his hand is still troubling the former Tour winner, according to his team. "Jonas has not yet fully recovered from his crash in Paris-Nice," Visma | Lease a Bike announced on social media. "Therefore, he will not start in the Tour of Catalonia. We wish him a speedy recovery!" When the Dane will return to racing remains uncertain; the next race on his schedule is the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Another setback for Vingegaard, who was in tears after his withdrawal from Paris-Nice. "I don’t think what happened last year is playing a role and that Jonas is mentally broken because of it," he previously told De Telegraaf, referring to his heavy crash in the Tour of the Basque Country. "We want our riders to stay on their bikes, but in reality, that’s not always possible. Unfortunately, crashes are part of cycling, and Jonas knows that too."

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Vingegaard was ultimately unable to compete for the win due to his crash in the fifth stage of Paris-Nice

Visma | Lease a Bike aims for victory with Kooij in Milan-San Remo

While Vingegaard will be able to start next week in Spain, there still is Olav Kooij. The yellow-and-black team is aiming for a top result in Milan-San Remo with the Dutch sprinter, who impressed last week with a stage win in Tirreno-Adriatico. "Olav is a very good sprinter who still has something left after a tough race," said the German coach.

"But you also know that Milan-San Remo is a different story. Besides Van der Poel, there are also riders like Tadej Pogacar, Filippo Ganna, and Mads Pedersen. But Olav wants to make his mark, and he is our key card," Niermann continued. "If we can position him well on the Via Roma, I think he has a very strong chance of winning."

However, despite his confidence in Kooij, he remains cautious. "He is in great shape, but we also know that the peloton has to survive the Cipressa and the Poggio first. Something always happens there, so it's certainly not the case that we think Olav will just out-sprint everyone without any challenge."

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Kooij wins after a tough stage in Tirreno-Adriatico

Jorgenson and Van Aert in top form for the cobbled classics?

After Milan-San Remo, Visma | Lease a Bike will quickly shift its focus to the Holy Week, where the team hopes to finally win a cobbled monument. The preparations are looking promising. Matteo Jorgenson is in excellent form, having secured his second overall victory in Paris-Nice last week. But team leader Wout van Aert also appears to be in top shape.

The Belgian, who did not make much of an impression during the opening weekend, is currently on a training camp in Tenerife alongside teammate Tiesj Benoot. Through his Strava, we can get a glimpse of their preparation. Last Tuesday, for instance, they had a long training day, covering 178 kilometers with nearly 4,500 (!) meters of elevation gain, spending over six hours in the saddle.

Read also

Wiggins outraged over INEOS' celebration after Paris-Nice: "As if they were a French team"

Week 11 for Wout van Aert, "problems" for Pogačar, and final preparations for Philipsen: How these Milan-Sanremo favorites spent their week

"The people who ruined me are paying a heavy price"; Wiggins back on track – thanks to Armstrong

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