The decision on what Grand Tour Jonas Vingegaard will ride next year is expected to be made at a Jumbo-Visma training camp in December this year. For now, he has ruled out attempting to race both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same season but it is something he’s considering for the future.

 

– By Rob Arnold

The defending champion of the Tour de France wasn’t at the route launch for the 2023 edition in Paris on Thursday, instead Jonas Vingegaard was in Singapore with his family before a weekend of cycling action as part of the Prudential Singapore Criterium (29-30 October 2022).

Vingegaard is one of several big name cycling stars who will compete in the inaugural Singapore criterium – featuring much of the circuit used for the F1 racing only a few weeks ago – on Sunday. He spoke briefly to the media on Saturday morning, offering his first reaction to the route for next year’s Tour de France which was unveiled in Paris on Thursday.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t be there,” said the 25-year-old about the route presentation in Paris, “but I think it’s a good route.”

One of the features of the course for #LeTour2023 is that there is only one time trial of 22km and Vingegaard admits that he “would have liked a bit more”. He went on to explain that he believes a TT towards the end of a Grand Tour works in his favour, although the Dane has truly established himself as a star of the peloton thanks to his climbing ability.

A common reaction to the route of the modern Tour de France is how much it suits the climbers and that is certainly going to be the case again in 2023.

Another talking point for next year’s Tour (1-23 July) relates to who is likely to lead the dominant Jumbo-Visma team that boasts both Vingegaard and three-time champion of the Vuelta a España, Primoz Roglic.

Vingegaard was relaxed as he explained that the decision on leadership for next year’s Grand Tours – and even which riders will contest what race – is yet to be determined by his team.

“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Vingegaard said in response to the question of who will be Jumbo-Visma’s number-one rider for the Tour.

 

 

He wasn’t being coy with his answers, rather his responses to questions about the Tour and leadership suggest that it’s part of an ongoing discussion with management as the team assesses the routes of the Giro (presented a short time ago) and the Tour, and what will suit who better.

The Giro of 2023 boasts three time trials and the usual glut of mountains, particularly in the final week, and there seems to be a temptation for Vingegaard to expand his Grand Tour repertoire and see how he goes in May rather than July. Again, that’s a decision that will be made towards the end of the year.

“We have to talk about it and we’ll see,” he said before raising the possibility of a start in the Giro rather than defending his title in France next July.

“How do we see the route [for the Tour] compared to the Giro or other races, but my preference would be the Tour de France.”

What seems clear from his comments in Singapore earlier today is that he’s ruling out the possibility of attempting the Giro/Tour double… at least in 2023.

“I think for now I have to choose one. Maybe in the future it can be that I’ll go for both but at least for now I’ll have to choose one.”

 

Vingegaard or Roglic: options for Jumbo-Visma

While the Giro d’Italia (6-28 May 2023) and the next Tour de France are over half a year away, the routes have been presented and the cycling media and fans alike are keen to find out when Jumbo-Visma will decide on the question of leadership for the first two Grand Tours of 2023.

When do you make that decision? I asked Vingegaard during the brief media gathering in Singapore’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, also adding: is it your decision, or management’s… or a combination?

“It’s a combination,” he replied. “I’ll do it at the December training camp… and then we’ll talk about it and make a plan. And we’ll see.”

Once the decision is made, the team and its leaders will then hone form and aim to be at the start of both the Giro and Tour in the best possible shape. What seems clear is that leadership is not going to be decided based on a judgement of form weeks in advance of Grand Tour season.

Curious to know what the decisive factor might be, I asked if leadership would be determined by how he and Roglic have managed the early season. With a shrug of the shoulders and a grin, Vingegaard replied, “I think, no matter what, it doesn’t really matter about what shape you are in for July. I think it’s about what the team wants, what we want… and if I have a big wish to do the Giro then I think they will also listen to it.”

For now, he says his preference is to race the Tour. Let’s wait to find out how things pan out at the training camp in December.

 

– By Rob Arnold

 

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