Vingegaard injured on face and hand after crash in Paris-Nice: "Couldn't use his left brake"

Jonas Vingegaard was worried about the conditions the riders had to cycle in during the fourth stage of Paris-Nice. The Dane from Visma | Lease a Bike finished second in the bitterly cold stage, but things did not go as planned in the fifth stage, where he started as GC leader. The two-time Tour winner crashed halfway through the race. This meant he lost the lead in the GC, and is now second.

After about 85 kilometers, Vingegaard was on the asphalt. Fortunately, he could continue the race fairly quickly and rejoined the peloton after a check-up at the medical car. He seemed to be suffering mainly from his jaw, and he completed the rest of the stage with a split lip. He was clearly suffering from his crash, ultimately costing him thirty seconds on the difficult finish. He lost the leader's jersey, although it remained within the team: Matteo Jorgenson took it over from his fellow leader.

Vingegaard did not appear before the cameras after the race, but his American teammate was kind enough to update the media on the Danish climber's situation. "I don't know much," he said. "I was coming back from a toilet break, and I saw him on the side of the road with blood on his face. Later, he came to me and told me that his hand was really, really painful. He was having a hard time using his brakes and holding the bars. He did not feel comfortable in the fight."

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Jorgenson: "His health is more important than a bike race"

"He told me he would sit further back in the final,' says the new leader's jersey wearer. Because of this, Vingegaard could not compete for the day's victory; his injuries were clearly getting the better of him. 'He still did his very best, and I am proud. But he told me to race for myself. Victor (Campenaerts, ed.) stayed with him, and the rest of us were with me. We managed it as well as we could."

Will Vingegaard still be in the Race to the Sun on Friday? "I hope so for sure," said Jorgenson. "We should get his hand and his head checked out. I haven't seen him since the finish, so I hope we can keep the first two places in the GC and that he's okay. His health is more important than a bike race. The American finished third. 'I felt good. Yesterday was just such weird conditions. I couldn't get warm after that chaos. But today, I felt very normal and tried to play it offensive on the last climb because I know a steadier pace is better for a big guy like me."

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Campenaerts: "Didn't have the impression he was feeling okay"

Campenaerts was Vingegaard's bodyguard, but he, too, had not really seen what had happened. "Halfway through the stage, they caught up to the peloton, and Jonas crashed face first," the Belgian told Sporza. "He had hurt his hand badly and could no longer use his left brake. We then chose to stay out of the chaos and move up on the slopes. That is not ideal because you use much energy doing that."

Campenaerts saw his leader battling until the final meters. "The damage in terms of time is limited, but hopefully, there is not too much damage from the crash. Considering the circumstances, it is very impressive that he finished this stage," he said. Vingegaard struggled along the way. "Jonas spoke of dizziness. He must have suffered incredibly. Now, he has to visit the doctor; hopefully, the verdict will be favorable. I didn't get the impression that he was feeling okay. He managed to get through it but couldn't hold his brake."

Read also

Martinez strongest on extremely steep Paris-Nice climb: Vingegaard crashes and loses yellow jersey

Again terrible conditions in Paris-Nice: "In 5 minutes you can feel completely frozen"

Course and results Paris-Nice 2025 | Martinez wins, Vingegaard loses: Will Friday be another day for the sprinters (?)

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