Vingegaard's recovery is accelerating towards the Tour

Jonas Vingegaard continues with his recovery plan with the aim of being able to compete in the Tour de France. The winner of the last two yellow jerseys is in the French Alps looking to improve his sensations at altitude. The plans involve trying to reach the team concentration in June, although the deadlines are very tight and the presence of the Dane in the Tour de France is up in the air.

Vingegaard trains in France with his sights set on the Tour

Jonas Vingegaard continues to gain days on the calendar less than a month before the next June 29 when the Tour de France 2024 will start in Florence. The goal of winning the Grande Boucle for the third consecutive year was derailed in early April. The multiple fall in the fourth stage of the Itzulia resulted in several casualties, including the standout of Vingegaard who spent almost two weeks in the hospital due to a pneumothorax, a fractured collarbone, and several broken ribs.

Now, three weeks after getting back on the bike in Denmark and after a brief stay on the roads of Mallorca, the Dane continues with his preparation in the mountains of Tignes, in the French Alps bordering Italy.

The Visma-Lease a Bike coach Tim Heemskerk has given an interview to the media outlet BT and confirms Vingegaard's progress, which has led him to be able to face high-altitude training. "It's a new step for him and now it's starting to look like a normal training," he added that "at first there won't be much training, he just needs to acclimatize to the altitudes."

Vingegaard's work now focuses on "improving his physical form on the bike, but also strengthening his shoulder through exercises and getting closer to his optimal weight," Heemskerk explained. The coach's hope is that "he can train with the rest of the team when they come to Tignes after the Dauphiné for the pre-Tour concentration."

Despite all this, he warns that "no decision has been made yet. Right now, the most important thing is today and tomorrow."

The recovery phase in Mallorca served for Vingegaard to "pick up speed for the first time," as well as to take gentle climbs and train descents. "It was about being in a place with good weather, where he could enjoy time with his family around training," Heemskerk stated. Now, in Tignes "it's more about performance with normal training, massages...".

Vingegaard longs to wear yellow again and the goal of returning to the Tour is clear and evident. The presence of the Dane in Tignes is another good news for him but, although the recovery timelines for top-level athletes are usually science fiction for the common people, at this point nothing can be guaranteed. The team and the cyclist are working hard for that, but time will tell.

The most immediate goal is to be in a condition to be part of the concentration that the team will carry out after the Critérium du Dauphiné, the dress rehearsal that Visma-Lease a Bike will perform in Tignes itself.