Jonas Vingegaard out for rest of season with no return possible after crash

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will not race again in 2026 after breaking his collarbone at the Tour de France, his team have confirmed.

Vingegaard crashed out of the Tour on July 19 and had to undergo surgery for a broken collarbone. Whilst he did not have any more race days officially planned after the Tour, there was hope that he may be back in action before the year was out, with a potential ride at the World Championships in Montreal on the cards.

However, Visma confirmed on Monday morning that that will not be happening, and he is calling time on his season with no return expected before 2027.

"After a long and intense racing period, a recovery period was planned after the Tour de France anyway. Due to the collarbone injury, the start of my training has been delayed and it is not possible for me to get back to top level in the coming period," he said in a team statement.

"The focus is on preparing optimally for the goals of the 2027 season. I will discuss these specific goals with the team in the coming period."

Though Vingegaard crashed nearly a month ago, with recovery from a collarbone break often fairly rapid with surgical intervention, Visma confirmed that he is "still experiencing the effects of the collarbone fracture" rather than his season-end being purely a choice.

"As a result, it is not possible for him to work towards new racing goals for 2026 in the short term," the team said. "The Dane, who won Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and, of course, the Giro d’Italia this year, will focus on his recovery and training in the coming period. With this, he hopes to lay the foundations for another successful season."

Even before the crash, Vingegaard had not laid out his end of season plans, with his programme only confirmed up to the Tour, so it is not a huge surprise to see him put an end to his season. Apart from the Vuelta, the Dane does not usually race late into the year, preferring a lighter programme, and with the Giro victory already under his belt, he is not in search of results.

"As announced at the start of the season, we would take stock of the remaining part of the season after the Tour de France. After a busy period with many days of racing and the collarbone fracture Jonas sustained in the Tour de France, it is best for him to focus on 2027," Visma's Marc Reef said.

"Together with Jonas, we will look at the right training build-up and goals for the new year over the coming weeks."

Analysis

Matilda Price

This feels like entirely the right choice for Vingegaard, and in truth, not particularly surprising. A Worlds comeback could have been fun but always felt really unlikely and not in keeping with the way the Dane usually races.

What's more significant, though, is the welcome confirmation that he is indeed working towards 2027 and future goals. After his crash, and the way he's spoken about his career before, it didn't feel totally impossible that Vingegaard could call time on his entire career this autumn, especially with the dramatic way Visma spoke about his exit from the Tour. I'm glad to hear that that is not the case and that he's already fully focused on his goals for next year.

The interesting thing will be what those goals are. Clearly, the Tour is usually top of his list, but this year showed again what a gap there is between him and Tadej Pogačar, and that Vingegaard has more to gain in other races. Could we see him really mix up his ambitions and programme in 2027?

For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You'll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a España, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today. (edited)