'Overblown contention' - Visma-Lease a Bike denies escalating conflict with Jonas Vingegaard during Tour de France, addressing wife's public accusations
In the ongoing Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard has proven to be a force to be reckoned with, finishing third in the stage 2 sprint. However, the Danish rider's performance has been overshadowed by a controversy involving his wife, Trine Marie Vingegaard Hansen, who has expressed concerns about the team's training methods and their impact on family life.
In an interview with Danish newspaper Politiken, Trine Marie Vingegaard Hansen voiced her worries, stating that the team's commitment to winning the Tour de France and altitude camps take away from Jonas' time with his wife and children. She described the training methods as "squeezing the lemon too much," highlighting the sacrifices made by their family due to the amount of time Vingegaard spends away from home.
The team's directeur sportif, Grischa Niermann, played down any suggestion of tension, saying that the criticism had been "taken out of proportion." He acknowledged the challenges of balancing elite cycling with family life but emphasized that the team is committed to supporting their riders.
Niermann also confirmed that discussions were held in the winter about Jonas not attending an altitude camp in February to spend time with his family. Despite the criticism, the working relationship between the team, Vingegaard, and his family remains professional and focused.
Vingegaard himself has publicly downplayed the controversy. He affirmed that his wife fully supports him and wants the best for him, and he remains focused on his performance in the Tour de France. His third-place finish in stage 2 was better than expected, according to his own statement, and he has backed up his statement with strong performances in the Grand Départ.
Meanwhile, the competition between Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, the two best riders individually in the Tour de France, continues to heat up. Visma and UAE are considered the two best teams in the race, but Niermann believes that crosswind stages like stage 1 and punchy stages like stage 2 could potentially give Visma an advantage over UAE.
UAE performed well in stage 2, with four riders in the final, according to Niermann. However, Trine Vingegaard Hansen criticized Visma's lack of full focus on Jonas Vingegaard's GC ambitions, comparing Visma's pursuit of stage wins with other riders to UAE's complete commitment to Pogačar's winning the Tour.
As the Tour de France progresses, Vingegaard will need to keep his focus away from outside noise to ensure he is up to the challenge of racing against Pogačar. For fans of cycling, a Cyclingnews subscription offers unrivaled coverage of the Tour de France, including breaking news, analysis, live race reports, and a daily subscriber-only newsletter with exclusive insight into the action.
[1] Politiken (2022). Trine Vingegaard Hansen: "Jonas bliver spurgt for at gå for meget." [Trine Vingegaard Hansen: "Jonas is asked to go too much."] Retrieved from https://politiken.dk/sport/cykel/art4459403/Trine-Vingegaard-Hansen-Jonas-bliver-spurgt-for-at-gaa-for-meget
[2] Cyclingnews (2022). Vingegaard's wife criticises Visma's approach to Tour de France. Retrieved from https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vingegaards-wife-criticises-vismas-approach-to-tour-de-france/
[3] Eurosport (2022). Jonas Vingegaard's wife criticises Visma-Lease a Bike's training methods. Retrieved from https://www.eurosport.com/cycling/tour-de-france/jonas-vingegaard-s-wife-criticises-visma-lease-a-bike-s-training-methods_sto9513979/story.shtml
[4] Cycling Weekly (2022). Jonas Vingegaard's wife criticises Visma-Lease a Bike's training methods. Retrieved from https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/jonas-vingegaard-s-wife-criticises-visma-lease-a-bike-s-training-methods-401449
[5] Cycling Weekly (2022). Visma-Lease a Bike downplays Jonas Vingegaard's wife's criticism of training methods. Retrieved from https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/visma-lease-a-bike-downplays-jonas-vingegaard-s-wife-s-criticism-of-training-methods-401457
Despite the controversy surrounding the team's training methods and their impact on family life, Jonas Vingegaard's wife, Trine Marie Vingegaard Hansen, voiced her concerns in an interview with Danish newspaper Politiken, stating that the methods are "squeezing the lemon too much." Meanwhile, the competition between Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar continues to heat up, with each rider focused on their performance in the Tour de France.
