The wife of Jonas Vingegaard has spoken critically about the tactics and choices of Visma-Lease a Bike in and around the Tour de France. Trine Marie Hansen wonders if her husband enjoys the full confidence of the Dutch team.
“I hope he gets the full support of the team, instead of having all sorts of different goals,” said Hansen, who is also Vingegaard’s manager, ahead of the Tour start in the Danish newspaper Politiken. “I think the team should focus on winning the Tour and nothing else.”
Hansen wonders if that is currently the case at Visma-Lease a Bike. “If you are also going to focus on stage wins for other riders, that cannot be used for Jonas,” she says, probably referring to Wout van Aert. Visma-Lease a Bike also allows the Belgian to go for his own success.
“You can only have respect for how Tadej Pogacar does it,” Hansen continues. “When he is at the start of a race, there is no doubt about who the leader is. Everyone knows his role. I think that is super important.”
Hansen makes more striking statements in Politiken. For example, she also has her reservations about Vingegaard’s Tour preparation. The Tour winner of 2022 and 2023 went on several altitude training camps this year to optimally prepare for the biggest cycling race in the world.
‘Afraid Jonas is burning the candle at both ends’
According to Hansen, Vingegaard needs to recharge to deliver his best performance. “It is the team’s great wish that he wins the Tour de France, so they make plans to get there in the best way and that includes many altitude training camps.”
“But Jonas doesn’t recharge when he’s back at altitude with the team for three weeks. He would prefer to be at our home in Denmark (in Glyngøre, ed.) to be able to do that. If that is not possible, we must be together somewhere else where we can just be ourselves.”
“Sometimes he needs to reset in the quietest possible environment with his family,” Hansen continues in the interview. “He is not like many other riders. I’m afraid he’s burning his candle at both ends.”
“Jonas is someone who needs a little more rest and relaxation. Then you might be able to calculate everything in an Excel file, but I think you sometimes forget the whole person and how to get the best out of him. That can be counterproductive.”
Team leader Grischa Niermann of Visma-Lease a Bike does not recognize himself in the criticism from Vingegaard’s wife. He believes that the Dutch team listens to the wishes of the Danish leader.
“We have a very good relationship with Jonas and we always sit down together to plan the year,” he tells the Danish broadcaster TV2. “But sacrifices have to be made to win the biggest cycling race in the world. Jonas knows that, and so does Trine.”
Niermann thinks that Vingegaard also benefits from Van Aert’s presence. “He is the biggest help Jonas could wish for, but Wout is also a great champion. He must also have his own goals and freedom. Then you also get the Wout you saw, for example, in the Giro. There he helped Simon Yates to the overall victory.”
Vingegaard reacted briefly on Sunday after the second stage to his wife’s statements, even though he said he had not read the interview. “I know that Trine supports me 100 percent and that she does everything to ensure that I perform at the top of my ability.”
Vingegaard, who starts the third stage on Monday as number three in the general classification, says he is not worried about the impact of his wife’s statements. “That’s just the way it is. I don’t read the media during cycling, so I find it difficult to answer now.”