More fear than harm. Jonas Vingegaard does not suffer “any serious injury” after falling on Monday in training while trying to overtake an amateur cyclist in the Malaga region, southern Spain, his team Visma-Lease a bike announced on Tuesday, calling for respect from those who follow the champions on their outings.
“Jonas Vingegaard fell during training on Monday. Fortunately, he is well and did not suffer any serious injury,” revealed the Dutch team about the double winner of the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France who is due to start his season at the Tour of the United Arab Emirates on February 16.
“Overall, as a team, we would like to appeal to fans who are on their bikes to always put safety first. For your own well-being and that of others, please let the runners train and give them as much space and quiet as necessary,” the team then insisted.
“He must have had quite a shock”
On Monday, a Spanish amateur cyclist shared a video on the Strava application of Vingegaard in a descent while he followed the Danish runner. “Jonas falls while trying to outrun me on the descent of the Fuente de la Reina. I stop to ask him how he’s doing and he gets mad at me for taking his wheel. He was descending quickly precisely to let go of me and he ended up finding himself on the ground,” wrote this amateur cyclist, Pedro Garcia Fernandez, on the sports application.
“You both passed me on the descent, and when I was almost at the last turn, I found Jonas near the slides, his face bloody in two places,” said another witness, still on Strava. “He must have taken quite a shock to drag his face on the ground… I stopped too and asked him if he needed help, and he told me no, to leave, very angry. Now I understand why (…) It seems to me that he felt a little under pressure and that he went down faster than he should have on a road that he did not know,” added the amateur cyclist.
The south of Spain, particularly the Calpe region, has in recent years become the epicenter of professional cycling in winter when the overwhelming majority of teams settle there to prepare for the season.
This attracts a growing crowd of amateur cyclists eager to observe the champions in training and try to follow them on their outings in a sport practiced on roads open to all.
This cohabitation annoys more and more in the peloton and in particular the most popular riders like Remco Evenepoel or Mathieu van der Poel who are often followed by cohorts of cyclists, smartphones in hand.
