Visma DS Zeeman downplays Jonas Vingegaard’s chances of winning the Tour de France: “We have a lot of injuries, so we still have some work to do to get things in order”

Vingegaard suffered serious injuries that kept him in hospital in the Basque Country for almost two weeks, and since then it has been a race against time for him to make it to the Tour de France and also be as competitive as possible to have chances to complete his defend two consecutive titles. “Yes, I said that two weeks after those falls. It’s been a while now and we may need to refine this,” he said of past rulings on Vingegaard’s participation depending on whether he was in winning form.

“It is a very difficult puzzle. We have a lot of injuries, so we still have some work to do to get things in order. Wout Van Aert has already made a lot of progress, he has already ridden the Tour of Norway, but Jonas has of course been in a difficult situation since the race in Itzulia Basque Country.” The team has also had to replace Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk due to injuries; with Jan Tratnik and Wilco Kelderman want to be the replacements.

“He is training now. But training is one thing, but whether you can be competitive in the Tour is another. We are not yet ready to say that he will start if he can get on the podium. But one day we will take stock: will he go or not? How is he doing now? What can we expect?” Zeeman’s intention is certainly to play down Vingegaard’s chances in an attempt to put pressure on UAE Team Emirates.

“It wasn’t just a broken collarbone. We must not forget that it was a crash with a very major impact. There is also the fear of another fall. After the Dauphiné I drove on to Tignes, so I talked to him about it a lot.”

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