After horror crash

Vingegaard: “I thought I was going to die!”

"And when I was lying there, I thought: 'If I survive this, then I'll stop cycling'. But now I'm sitting here."

(Bild: twitter.com/ehitzulia)

Cyclist Jonas Vingegaard was scared to death after his serious crash in April and thought about the end of his career! "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: 'If I survive this, then I'll stop cycling'. But now I'm sitting here."

Vingegaard crashed heavily on a descent during the Tour of the Basque Country on April 4. The Tour title defender broke a collarbone, several ribs and a finger. The biggest problem, however, was his punctured lung.

Jonas Vingegaard

(Bild: AFP/APA/Marco BERTORELLO)

Vingegaard is currently third in the overall standings, separated from the leading Slovenian Tadej Pogacar by 1:15 minutes after nine of 21 stages. He is simply happy to be at this level at the Tour after just one and a half months of preparation.

"Trine also thought I was going to die when I was lying there on the ground!"
Thoughts of a possible end to his career were fleeting, but very clear. Especially because the crash also took its toll on his wife Trine Hansen. "My family was always there for me and gave me a lot of support. But yes, Trine also thought I was going to die when I was lying there on the ground," said the 27-year-old.

Jonas Vingegaard

(Bild: AFP)

According to Vingegaard himself, he is not any slower on the downhill runs. However, it took some effort to take the same risks again as before his fall. "I think I'm over it now," said Vingegaard. "It was a challenge for me, but now I don't think I have any problems with descents."