Jonas Vingegaard

Jonas Vingegaard: biography

Jonas Vingegaard Rasmussen, hailing from Denmark, is an accomplished cyclist representing UCI WorldTeam Team Jumbo–Visma. His victory in the prestigious 2022 Tour de France firmly established his name in the cycling world.

Childhood and youth

Vingegaard, born on December 10, 1966, in Hillerslev, Denmark, showed an early interest in sports, participating in both football and handball from a young age.

Vingegaard hails from Hillerslev, Thy, and is the son of Claus Christian Rasmussen and Karina Vingegaard Rasmussen. He has a sister named Michelle Vingegaard Rasmussen. During his primary school years, he attended Hillerslev School until 7th grade and later completed 8th and 9th grades at Tingstrup School in Thisted. In August 2012, he pursued the voluntary 10th grade at ISI Idrætsefterskole in Ikast, focusing on cycling. Following that, he enrolled in Thisted Handelsgymnasium, where he pursued the Higher Commercial Examination Programme (HHX) for his secondary education.

His introduction to the world of cycling occurred when he accompanied his father as a spectator during the first stage of the 2007 Danmark Rundt, which commenced in Thisted, the main town of the region. During the event, the local cycling club Thy Cykle Ring had arranged a home trainer to provide the audience with a taste of cycling uphill. Intrigued by the experience, Vingegaard joined the club and embarked on his first races.For five seasons, he rode alongside the Thy Cykle Ring before transitioning to the Aalborg Cykle Ring in 2013.The following year, in 2014, Vingegaard became a member of the Odder Cykel Klub as a junior rider. Initially struggling in his transition to the senior category, he faced disappointing performances in races.However, when the Odder Cykel Club established a U23 team at the beginning of 2016, Vingegaard's results began to improve. In the spring, he achieved a podium finish in a race held in Aalborg, and in May, he emerged as the victor in a section of the Pinse Cuppen in Hammel, where riders faced the challenging ascent of the renowned local hill, Pøt Mølle, multiple times.

Cycling career

In May 2016, as Vingegaard started to demonstrate improved race performances, Danish UCI Continental team ColoQuick–Cult, led by general manager Christian Andersen, wasted no time in signing him to a contract. In order to establish a structured daily routine, Andersen arranged for Vingegaard to begin working at a fish factory called Chrisfish in Hanstholm. During weekdays, Vingegaard would diligently work from 6 am to noon, skillfully skinning fish, before devoting his afternoons to training.Interestingly, he had the opportunity to work alongside fellow cyclist Michael Valgren at the factory, who was also pursuing a professional cycling career.

At the age of 19 in 2016, Vingegaard achieved his first significant international success, securing a second-place finish in the UCI 2.1 level race, Tour of China I.

However, a major setback occurred during a crash in the 2017 Tour des Fjords, resulting in a broken femur and sidelining Vingegaard for a considerable portion of the 2017 season.Prior to the injury, he had already exhibited promising results, finishing fourth overall and winning the youth competition in the French stage race, Tour du Loir-et-Cher.

Upon his recovery and the commencement of the 2018 season, Vingegaard quickly regained his form. During a training trip to Spain in early March 2018, he showcased his prowess by setting a new time record on the challenging Coll de Rates test climb. Completing the 6.5-kilometer ascent in an impressive 13.02 minutes, Vingegaard surpassed the previous record holder, Tejay van Garderen, by a remarkable 12 seconds.

In 2019, Vingegaard joined Team Jumbo–Visma and secured his first UCI WorldTour victory in stage 6 of the Tour de Pologne. The following year, he finished eighth in the 2020 Tour de Pologne and successfully completed his first Grand Tour, the 2020 Vuelta a España, supporting Primož Roglič, who won the race overall.

In the 2021 season, Vingegaard achieved notable successes, including winning stage 5 of the UAE Tour and claiming two stage wins and the overall title in the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali. He also finished second overall in the Tour of the Basque Country, following his teammate Roglič.

In the 2021 Tour de France, Vingegaard initially served as a domestique for Roglič but became the team's main contender after Roglič's crash. He showcased his climbing abilities with a strong performance on stage 11, where he attacked on the second ascent of Mont Ventoux. He went on to secure a podium finish, claiming second place overall behind Tadej Pogačar.

The 2022 season proved to be a breakthrough year for Vingegaard. He achieved impressive results, finishing second in Tirreno–Adriatico and sixth in the Tour of the Basque Country. In the Critérium du Dauphiné, he won a stage and finished second overall behind teammate Roglič. However, his most significant accomplishment came in the Tour de France, where he emerged as a strong contender. He won a stage and claimed the yellow jersey after a powerful performance on the Col du Granon climb, distancing Pogačar and securing a substantial time advantage. Vingegaard defended his lead and maintained his position as the main rival to Pogačar throughout the race. He ultimately triumphed with another stage win and secured the overall victory, becoming the first Danish rider since 1996 to achieve a podium finish in the Tour de France.

Following his remarkable Tour de France victory, Vingegaard took a break from racing before making his comeback in the CRO Race, preparing for the Tour of Lombardy in October.

Personal life

Vingegaard currently resides in Glyngøre with his girlfriend Trine Marie Hansen (born in 1987). Their relationship began when Vingegaard was a cyclist for Team ColoQuick from 2016 to 2018, and Trine served as the team's marketing manager. In September 2020, they welcomed their daughter, Frida, into the world. Trine's mother, Rosa Kildahl Christensen, gained national recognition as a contestant on Den store bagedyst in 2017, a Danish adaptation of the popular British baking competition, The Great British Bake Off.

Accomplishments and achievements

Overall Titles:

• 2022: Overall Winner, Tour de France
• 2021: Overall Winner, Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
• 2023: Overall Winner, Tour of the Basque Country
• 2023: Overall Winner, Critérium du Dauphiné
• 2023: Overall Winner, O Gran Camiño

Stage Wins:

Tour de France:

• 2022: Stages 11 & 18

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali:

• 2021: Stages 2 & 4

UAE Tour:

• 2021: Stage 5

Tour de Pologne:

• 2019: Stage 6

Critérium du Dauphiné:

• 2022: Stage 8
• 2023: Stages 5 & 7

O Gran Camiño:

• 2023: Stages 2, 3 & 4 (ITT)

Tirreno–Adriatico:

• 2022: Stage 5

Classification Wins:

Tour de France:

• 2022: Mountains classification

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali:

• 2021: Points classification

Tour of the Basque Country:

• 2023: Points classification
• 2023: Mountains classification

Young Rider Classification:

Tour du Loir-et-Cher:

• 2017: 1st Young rider classification

Tour of the Basque Country:

• 2021: 1st Young rider classification

Other Achievements:

• 2018 Giro della Valle d'Aosta: Prologue Winner
• 2023 Paris–Nice: 3rd Overall
• 2021 Clásica de San Sebastián: 8th Overall