Jonas Vingegaard Nearly Quit Cycling in 2025

Jonas Vingegaard is sitting second overall as of the first rest day of the Tour de France.

He almost wasn’t there at all.

Vingegaard revealed to Danish outlet TV2 on Sunday that he considered quitting cycling last year after he hit a mini-burnout with the sport.

The four-time grand tour winner only kept racing after he laid down the law to long-time team, Visma-Lease a Bike.

“I said last year that if this was how it was going to be, I couldn’t be in it any more,” Vingegaard told TV2. “That’s why we changed some things.

“I also think the team realized that this was how it was, and they could tell I wasn’t happy last year. They accepted that we had to change something, and we did,” Vingegaard said Sunday.

Vingegaard didn’t specify the exact nature of the compromise he reached with Visma-Lease a Bike for 2026.

However, he notably reinvented his race schedule to win the Giro d’Italia on debut and has cut back on time at altitude. He’s currently chasing archrival Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France as he targets the notorious Giro-Tour double.

Vingegaard said he’s satisfied with his situation but hinted that more work might be needed.

“We have taken a step in the right direction, but it is clear that it is only a step,” he said.

Vingegaard is a noted family man. The husband and father has repeatedly spoken of his desire to spend more time at home, and unlike most modern pros, he’s not relocated to a training mecca like Andorra or Nice.

The 29-year-old told TV2 he found the 24/7 demands of the modern WorldTour draining.

“As a cyclist, you feel like you’re constantly on a diet. You always have to think about your weight, and you’re always out training,” Vingegaard said. “A lot is demanded of you. It takes a toll on your body and your mind.”

Vingegaard more motivated, happier, and still chasing Pogačar

Visma-Lease a Bike has been under the microscope in the past 10 months.

The Dutch superteam has been put on the ropes by a series of notable losses to its roster.

Two-time grand tour winner Simon Yates suddenly retired last autumn. Top director Grischa Niermann and Vingegaard’s coach Tim Heemskerk left the squad this spring. Heemskerk said he was “struggling to apply his creativity” with the Killer Bees and now works with Vingegaard’s rival, Remco Evenepoel.

Vingegaard told TV2 the changes he made with Visma-Lease a Bike have worked so far.

“I’m much more motivated this year, and I’m much happier being a cyclist,” he said.

However, he did suggest the modern sport needs a change in thinking. The increasing professionalization and reducing margins are pushing riders to the brink.

“I think that in general you should look at it more individually, what suits the individual rider best,” Vingegaard said. “In order for cycling to become a sustainable sport again, it’s probably more the direction to go that you create individual programs for all riders.

“If it’s hard to be away for such a long time, then you have to do something else,” he said. “That’s what the team has done for me this year.”

Vingegaard is under contract with Visma-Lease a Bike through 2028. Both he and the team no doubt want to keep it that way.