Jonas Vingegaard faced a challenging setback during Stage 5 of Paris-Nice on Thursday, after a crash left him with an injury and forced him to lose his race lead. The two-time Tour de France winner suffered a cut to his upper lip and is understood to have injured his wrist, though he continued racing after receiving medical attention.
The crash, which occurred with 84 kilometers to go, appeared relatively minor, but Vingegaard quickly remounted his bike and resumed the race after swapping it out and being treated by the race doctor. Despite his efforts, Vingegaard struggled on the steep final climb of the Côte de Notre-Dame-de-Sciez. With just under a kilometer remaining, he was dropped from the leading group, losing 26 seconds to stage winner Lenny Martinez of Bahrain-Victorious.
As a result of his time loss, Vingegaard ceded the race lead to his teammate Matteo Jorgenson. He now sits in second place, 22 seconds behind Jorgenson. At the finish, Vingegaard was visibly holding his wrist, a sign of the pain he endured during the final climb.
This crash marked Vingegaard’s first since his severe accident at the Itzulia Basque Country in April of last year, where he suffered multiple fractures, including broken ribs, a collarbone, and a punctured lung.
The incident follows the crash of Vingegaard’s main rival, Tadej Pogačar, who fell during Strade Bianche the previous week. Pogačar, however, was able to remount and ultimately win the race.
Jorgenson, now in the race lead, expressed mixed emotions after the stage. “Personally, I felt very strong,” he said. “I was coming back from a nature break and saw Jonas had crashed. He then found me in the race and told me he thought his hand might be broken. It was really painful for him, and I know he struggled with braking and holding his handlebars.”
Jorgenson continued, “He told me to go for it and that he’d do his best. We tried to get him back into the race, but he seemed to be in a lot of pain. I set a harder pace on the last climb, knowing it would benefit me. I’m happy to keep the jersey under these circumstances, though it’s not how I imagined it.”
Vingegaard’s teammate Victor Campenaerts shared his perspective on the race’s events. “Halfway through the stage, Jonas fell on his face after getting caught in the peloton. His hand hurt a lot, and he could no longer use his left brake,” Campenaerts explained. “We tried to stay out of the stress and focus on the climbs, but losing time and strength wasn’t ideal. The time loss is limited, but I hope the damage from the fall isn’t too severe.”
Campenaerts also noted that Vingegaard reported dizziness following the crash. “He must have been in incredible pain,” he said. “Jonas managed to finish the stage, which is impressive under the circumstances. I didn’t think he was very lucid during the final moments. He fought through it, but he couldn’t hold his brake anymore.”
Vingegaard is set to undergo further medical evaluations as the team awaits more details on the extent of his injuries.
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