Vingegaard reveals Pogačar's message after serious crash and dismisses retirement rumours for 2028
Jonas Vingegaard has spoken publicly for the first time about the private message Tadej Pogačar sent him after the crash that forced him to abandon the 2026 Tour de France. The Danish cyclist appeared on 30 July at the start of the second stage of the Tour of Denmark in Glyngøre, his hometown, less than two weeks after fracturing his right collarbone. Speaking to the Danish media, he confirmed that his greatest rival contacted him immediately after the accident and that the gesture meant a great deal to him. He did not reveal the message's full contents, but said he was pleased that Pogačar had been thinking of him at a moment when his fight for the overall victory in the world's biggest race had suddenly ended. At the same time, Vingegaard rejected interpretations suggesting that he had already decided to end his career when his contract with Visma | Lease a Bike expires at the end of 2028.
A private message after a public gesture of support
Vingegaard described Pogačar's message as further proof that the relationship between the two best stage racers of their generation has changed over the years of intense rivalry. According to him, their relationship was noticeably more tense and less personal during the first seasons, although he did not describe it as hostile. Today, he said, they talk more often and better understand the circumstances in which they both find themselves: enormous expectations, months of preparation and the fact that their decisions are analysed almost every day. The Dane stressed that he likes the direction in which the rivalry has developed and that there is genuine respect between them, although they remain direct opponents on the road. The message after the crash was therefore not presented as a courteous formality, but as the human reaction of an athlete who knows very well the consequences of serious accidents and the interruption of major goals.
Pogačar also expressed his support publicly immediately after stage 15. As reported by Reuters, the Slovenian rider said that the Tour would not be the same without Vingegaard, described them as rivals who were also friends of a kind and wished him a speedy recovery. Such a statement carried additional weight because Vingegaard was second in the overall standings at the time of the crash and Pogačar's most important rival for the yellow jersey. Their contest was once again the race's central sporting story, as it had been for much of the period since 2021. The accident ended the direct duel before the final week, and Pogačar later won his fifth Tour de France.
A crash in the finale of stage 15 ended the fight for the Tour
The accident occurred on 19 July in the final twenty kilometres of stage 15 from Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison. According to the official Tour de France report, Vingegaard clipped a kerb on a bend, lost control of his bicycle and crashed heavily onto his right shoulder. Several other riders were involved in the incident, but the Dane was the only one unable to continue the race. Footage showed him leaving the road in severe pain and entering an ambulance with his arm immobilised. His Visma | Lease a Bike team then announced that he had suffered a fractured collarbone and multiple abrasions and that surgery had been recommended because of the severity of the fracture.
Sports director Marc Reef said that Vingegaard had been feeling very strong before the crash and that the team had planned an attack for the stage victory. During the stage, Visma sent riders into the breakaway, controlled the pace of the group of favourites and prepared the ground for the final climb, but the entire strategy became irrelevant within a few seconds. Up to that point, Vingegaard had achieved five consecutive Tour podium finishes, including overall victories in 2022 and 2023, so abandoning the race was his first such outcome at the French Grand Tour since becoming a title contender. Remco Evenepoel won the stage ahead of Pogačar, while the Belgian moved into second place in the overall standings following Vingegaard's withdrawal.
The operation went well, but there is still no date for his return
Vingegaard underwent surgery in Denmark on 21 July. According to information provided to Danish television channel TV2 by sports director Reef, the procedure was successful and the doctors did what was necessary, but the team did not immediately set a timetable for his return. During his appearance in Glyngøre, Vingegaard said that he could already move his arm and that his condition was gradually improving, but as of 30 July he had still not returned to his bicycle. He stressed that, regardless of the injury, he had needed a break after a long and demanding part of the season. The decision on whether he will compete again during the remainder of 2026 will depend on the healing of the collarbone, the restoration of his full range of motion and his body's reaction when he begins training again.
The Dane did not rule out competing at the Road Cycling World Championships in Montréal, but neither did he announce his participation. The Union Cycliste Internationale states that the championships will be held from 20 to 27 September, with the elite men's road race scheduled for the final day of competition. Vingegaard said it would be excellent if he were ready, but at the same time recalled his experience after the serious crash at the 2024 Tour of the Basque Country, when he tried to accelerate his return so that he could compete at the Tour. This time, according to him, he does not want to force his rehabilitation or tie his recovery in advance to a particular race. Such an approach leaves open both a return during the autumn and the possibility that his exceptionally successful season has already ended.
Rumours about the end of his career are linked to his contract through 2028
Vingegaard's appearance at the Danish race was also important because of rumours that he could end his career at the end of 2028. His contract with Visma | Lease a Bike runs precisely until the end of that season, and he had previously said that he did not see himself in the professional peloton until the age of 35 and that he assessed his future year by year. Some media outlets turned those statements into a claim that his retirement date had already been determined. Vingegaard has now clearly stated that no decision has been made: if he no longer wishes to continue at the end of 2028, he will stop then, but it is equally possible that he will extend his career. Time, motivation, health and sporting goals, rather than current assumptions, will determine the final decision.
The team's official profile confirms that Vingegaard has been a member of the Dutch squad since 2019 and has a contract through 2028. When the extension was announced in December 2023, the Danish rider said that he felt at home in the team and saw his future there. In his latest comments, he likewise gave no indication that he was considering changing teams. Instead, he spoke about races he has not yet won and the motivation he finds in expanding his palmarès. He thereby linked his denial of the retirement rumours to a concrete sporting plan, rather than merely to a general desire to remain active.
The 2026 season showed why he is not yet thinking about the end
Before his crash at the Tour, Vingegaard was having one of the most successful seasons of his career. In March, he won Paris–Nice for the first time, finishing more than four minutes ahead of the runner-up, according to the race's official website. Two weeks later, he became the first Danish winner of the Volta a Catalunya after building the decisive advantage with victories on two mountain-top finishes. At the end of May, he won the Giro d'Italia on his first appearance in the race, with five stage victories on uphill finishes. The Giro's official website states that he thereby became only the eighth rider in history to win the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España during his career.
Those were precisely the three new trophies Vingegaard had in mind when he spoke in Denmark about the races he still wanted to add to his list of achievements. Paris–Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and the Giro d'Italia had not been part of his palmarès before 2026, and by winning them he showed that his goals are not limited solely to the Tour. He announced a similar approach for 2027: together with the team, he wants to choose more competitions in which he has not yet triumphed and attempt to fill the remaining gaps in his career. A specific list of his next objectives has not yet been published, so the composition of his calendar will depend on his recovery and agreement with the team. His statements nevertheless point more towards a redefinition of priorities than towards an approach to a predetermined end.
His belief in another Tour victory has not disappeared
Despite Pogačar's dominance and his own forced withdrawal, Vingegaard said that he still believes he can win the Tour de France again. He added that he would be surprised if he did not return to the race, directly responding to speculation that the crash could mark the end of their great Tour rivalry. That confidence is based on his results: between 2021 and 2025, every time both riders finished the Tour, Pogačar and Vingegaard occupied the top two places. The Slovenian was better in 2021, 2024 and 2025, while the Dane won in 2022 and 2023. The streak was broken only by Vingegaard's crash in the 2026 edition.
Their rivalry during that period shaped the tactics of the two strongest teams, the style of racing in the mountains and the public's expectations of each subsequent French race. At the same time, it became an example of how the relationship between great rivals can develop without losing its competitive edge. Vingegaard's account of Pogačar's message shows that personal respect does not diminish the importance of the sporting duel, but gives it an additional dimension. When they meet again at the start of a major race, both will try to win, but behind the public image of an uncompromising battle there will be a clearer awareness of the risks they share.
Recovery takes priority over the calendar
For Vingegaard, the most important thing now is for his collarbone to heal properly and for him to return to training without consequences that could jeopardise the 2027 season. The timing of his return will depend on the healing of the fracture, the effects of the surgical procedure and his ability to train again without difficulty. The team is therefore not publishing a precise schedule for now, and the rider himself has refused to create pressure around the World Championships or any other autumn race. According to the available information, his rehabilitation is progressing, but it has not yet been officially confirmed whether he will race again in 2026.
His arrival in Glyngøre nevertheless showed that he quickly returned to public life and the team environment after the operation. The Tour of Denmark passed along roads on which he often trains, and Vingegaard used the opportunity to support his teammates and greet the public, although he was unable to compete. At the same time, he closed two open topics following the Tour: he confirmed Pogačar's private gesture and refused to turn 2028 into a predetermined retirement date. His immediate objective remains recovery, while the long-term message remains unequivocal - he still considers himself a contender for the biggest victories and has no intention of giving up on the Tour.
Sources:
- Eurosport España – Vingegaard's statements about Pogačar's message, the development of their relationship and the retirement rumours (link)
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike – official statement on the crash, injuries and withdrawal from the Tour de France (link)
- Tour de France – official report on stage 15 and the circumstances of the crash in the finale (link)
- Reuters / Channel News Asia – the course of stage 15, Pogačar's public reaction and changes in the overall standings (link)
- Eurosport France – information about the successfully completed collarbone operation and the uncertain return (link)
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike – official rider profile and confirmation of his contract through the end of 2028 (link)
- Giro d'Italia – official confirmation of the 2026 overall victory and his entry among the winners of all three Grand Tours (link)
- Paris–Nice and Volta a Catalunya – official reports on Vingegaard's overall victories in the 2026 season (link; link)
- Associated Press – confirmation of Pogačar's fifth overall victory at the 2026 Tour de France (link)
- Union Cycliste Internationale – dates and programme of the 2026 World Championships in Montréal (link)