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The crash in Itzulia Basque Country claimed many lives. Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Steff Cras and Jay Vine were all among the big casualties. Vingegaard and Evenepoel immediately began a race against time until the start of the Tour. Vingegaard broke several ribs and his collarbone, but also suffered a bruised lung and a collapsed lung.
The Dane had to stay in hospital in Spain for a long time before he could return to Denmark, let alone touch his bike again. His main opponent Tadej Pogacar, on the other hand, had almost perfect preparation by winning the Giro d’Italia. But despite some doubts, Vingegaard made it to the start of the Tour and even gave spectators a glimpse of the possible battle for overall victory after a victory on stage eleven. In the end, Pogacar was well out of reach, but the same could be said for Vingegaard, who convincingly finished second.
A few months later, Jelle Vanendert believes that sand was thrown in his eyes after Vingegaard’s fall. “I don’t believe much in the story that Vingegaard recovered so slowly that he was only able to complete one altitude training camp before the Tour,” he says in Het Belang van Limburg.
“Sixteen days in a hospital bed and then three months later, the only one this year, to bring Pogacar back and beat him on a Tour stage…?” Vanendert shook his head.
