(Reuters) – Jonas Vingegaard will not be competing at the Vuelta a Espana, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider said after finishing second in an “exhausting” Tour de France.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar became the first rider since 1998 to achieve the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double, winning his third tour title on Sunday by defeating the defending champion Vingegaard.
The Dane, who won the last two tours, entered this year’s event after a three-month hiatus following multiple serious injuries, including a collapsed lung and fractured rib. He sustained in a crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April.
The 27-year-old never really appeared like he could retain his title after the injuries, though he did secure a stage win.
“I’m tired, I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired after a Grand Tour before. To be honest, I’m exhausted,” Vingegaard told Eurosport. “Of course I want to come back and win it again. I think now I need a bit of rest.”
“Unfortunately I will not be at the start of the Vuelta a Espana. I have different priorities this year, but for sure I will be there again in the future.
“It’s been quite some journey because it’s only three and a half months ago I had the worst crash of my career, breaking almost every bone in the upper right side of my body, and puncturing both lungs,” he said.
Vingegaard’s teammate Sepp Kuss will look to defend his title in the Vuelta, which begins on August 17, after missing the Tour de France due to COVID.
Vingegaard will not be competing at the Paris Games either, starting on Friday. Mads Pedersen, Mattias Skjelmose, Michael Morkov and Mikkel Bjerg will make up the Danish men’s road cycling team.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; editing by Miral Fahmy)
