Jonas Vingegaard has spoken at length for the first time about the concussion he suffered at Paris-Nice in March, with the Dane calling for a rethink of cycling’s concussion protocol.
The two-time Tour de France winner is preparing for this year’s race at a Visma-Lease A Bike training camp at altitude in Sierra Nevada, Spain, but he took time out from training for a press conference in which he discussed his spring-altering crash, and its after-effects in detail.
Vingegaard revealed that he was allowed to ride on during stage 5 without being checked for a concussion by the race doctor. He was only diagnosed with a concussion after finishing the stage, and he pulled out of the race the next day.
“I went to the race doctor because I had some blood on my face. I was bleeding, but they never once checked me for a concussion, which I find a bit odd, to be honest,” Vingegaard said.
“It was visible that my glasses were broken, I had blood on my face, and I even had a little bit of blood here on the eyebrow. For me, that was a bit odd that they didn’t check me for a concussion.”
Cycling’s current concussion protocol advises that riders should undergo a rapid assessment following a crash, followed by a check-up after the race and another the next day.
Spoke about his recovery from the concussion, recalling how he suffered a setback after attempting a short ride early in the process.
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“I think, speaking more for the future, as soon as someone has something on the shoulders or above which is visible, they should check them for concussion before they can continue,” he said.
“Of course, maybe the medical car was not there yet, but once I go to the medical car, they should at least check me when they can see that I hit my face.”
Vingegaard was forced to miss the Volta a Catalunya due to his concussion and spent nine days off the bike as a result. He’ll return to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné next month, facing off against Tadej Pogačar before the pair resume their Tour rivalry in July.
Addressing his recovery from the concussion, the Dane recalled how he suffered a setback after attempting a short ride early in the process.
“I went home the day after my crash in Paris-Nice, and I had to take it easy. When I had been awake for an hour or so, I had to sleep for an hour for the first three or four days. I was really suffering at the start, but every day was getting a bit better,” Vingegaard said.
“By Monday, I was thinking ‘OK, I can try to get on the bike again’, just one hour of a recovery ride, which backfired pretty much.
“I had to lie down and sleep again, and I didn’t touch my bike for four days again. Friday or Saturday was my first ride, and from there I’ve been increasing the workload.”
It’s the second season in a row which has seen Vingegaard’s spring disrupted thanks to a crash.
Last year, a high-speed multi-rider crash at Itzulia Basque Country pitched him into a race against time to recover for the Tour. He said that this year’s crash, which he called “maybe the most stupid crash I’ve ever had”, wasn’t as serious, occurring at a far lower speed.
“Last year I had this nasty crash in Basque, and didn’t have the optimal preparation for the Tour de France,” he said.
“This year, I crashed again in the spring and had to take a week off, so I feel like I missed out on the whole spring campaign. So, I have more motivation to go to the Tour de France, to the races that are coming up now, and to do the work that’s needed.
“It’s not really comparable because last year I crashed because of the bad roads, and we were going very fast on the downhill. This year at Paris-Nice, it was maybe the most stupid crash that I’ve ever had.
“I think we were going uphill, and one guy in front of me overlapped the wheel, and I couldn’t do anything. We were basically going 10-15kph. It didn’t really bring back any memories because it was so different.”
Vingegaard admitted that he’s “not on my best level yet” ahead of the Dauphiné and Tour. He has hopes to find better form than he has previously, even if he’s won the race twice.
After the Tour, he’ll head to the Vuelta a España, while a debut at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda is also possible. Danish national coach Michael Mørkøv has said that Vingegaard will head to Rwanda, but the man himself stopped short of confirming his participation.
“I know at this moment that I’m not on my best level yet, but that’s what I’m here for,” he said of the Tour. “Hopefully, I can be even better than I have ever been before. If I’m better than I’ve ever been before, I’m pretty sure that then I can at least fight for the victory in the Tour de France.
“I’ve always been interested in the World Championships. I still am, and, as I’ve said before, it depends on how I come out of the Vuelta. But, for now, it’s in my head.”