Jonas Vingegaard has criticized the concussion protocol of the international cycling union UCI. The two-time Tour de France winner was not checked for a concussion after falling on his head in Paris-Nice, even though this is in the rules.
The 28-year-old Vingegaard fell on his head during the fifth stage of Paris-Nice. He suffered a head wound. “It was clear that my glasses were broken and I had blood on my face,” Vingegaard said on Monday at a press conference.
Despite the head wound, Vingegaard was not checked for a concussion. “I found it strange how that went,” Vingegaard reflected. According to the UCI protocol, the race doctor must immediately check whether a rider is dizzy or nauseous after a fall on the head.
“That didn’t happen,” Vingegaard continued. “It also didn’t help that the race doctor wasn’t immediately with me. I went to the doctor on my own initiative.”
Vingegaard rode the remainder of the stage, but according to the protocol, he should have left the race. “I think it is good that every rider who sustains a wound above his shoulders is required to undergo a test,” Vingegaard suggested. “Now it was only determined afterwards.”
The rider of Visma-Lease a Bike has not raced since then. “That first period after the fall was very difficult. I had to sleep for an hour and a half every time I had been awake for an hour for the first four days. I didn’t touch my bike for four days.”
Vingegaard has now recovered and is preparing for his return in the Critérium du Dauphiné (June 8-15). Vingegaard, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023, is looking forward to cycling again. “Hopefully I can be better than ever before. Only then can I compete for the Tour victory.”