Vingegaard defends himself against comment from Hinault: "I really don't think he has a clue"

Hinault spoke in December about the differences between Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel on the one hand and Vingegaard on the other. "Vingegaard gives the impression of not liking races as much as a Pogacar or an Evenepoel," The Badger told Ekstrabladet then. "Drivers like races, don't they? I wonder if he likes them enough." An additional factor, of course, is that Vingegaard has less the profile of a one-day rider than either of the other two top riders. Now, the Dane himself wants to share more about it.

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Vingegaard responded to the Danish outlet with clear but harsh language toward the 70-year-old Frenchman. "When you say something like that, maybe you don't consider what happened to me this year. It's obvious that if I hadn't had that crash, I would have competed in more cycling races," the Visma | Lease a Bike leader said, possibly referring to the Dauphiné, the World Championship, or the Vuelta. However, Vingegaard also became a father for a second time.

He also reflected on the time trail leading up to the Tour because that will always be the most important race. "That's the way it is. I don't think he thinks about the consequences for me, which is that I crashed and then had to prepare for the Tour de France. If I had failed to prepare for the Tour, I would have competed in several other races in the fall," he also recounted the scenario that did not unfold.

Vingegaard continues: "A cycling year is about giving and taking and dealing with the availabilities. With that crash, I don't think you can expect me to be at my best for the rest of the season. I also don't think he knows how bad it was. I think many underestimate what it took to prepare for the Tour de France." In the end, the differences in race days are not too severe. The injured Vingegaard had 44, Pogacar 58 and Evenepoel 61. By comparison, in 2023, Vingegaard, without physical issues, ended up with 67 race days.