“It was so bad that I thought I was going to die,” said the Dane on the first rest day of the Tour de France in Orléans. “And as I lay there, I thought that if I survived this, I would give up cycling. But now I’m sitting here.”
Vingegaard had a serious fall during a descent in the Tour of the Basque Country on April 4. The defending Tour champion broke a collarbone, several ribs and a finger. The biggest problem, however, was his punctured lung.
“I think I’m over it”
Vingegaard is currently third in the overall rankings, and following nine of 21 stages he is 1:15 minutes behind the leading Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. He is simply happy to be at this level in the Tour following only one and a half months of preparation.
Thoughts of a possible end to his career were fleeting, but very clear. Especially because the fall also affected his wife Trine Hansen very much. “My family was always there for me and supported me a lot. But yes, Trine also thought I was going to die when I was lying on the ground,” said the 27-year-old.
Vingegaard says he is not slower on the downhills. However, it took some effort to take the same risks as before his fall. “I think I’m over it,” said Vingegaard. “It was a challenge for me, but now I think I have no problems with downhills.”
