MADRID – Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time defending Tour de France champion, found himself among the riders hospitalized following a major accident during the Basque Country Vuelta on Thursday, April 4th. This incident also involved Olympic gold medalist Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, a top contender for the road race at the Paris Games.
Jonas Vingegaard’s accident happened with less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) remaining in the fourth stage. Despite the severity of the crash, he remained conscious and will undergo examination at the hospital. The 27-year-old Danish rider, who had previously tasted victory in a Spanish race, was seen barely moving after the incident. He was swiftly placed in an ambulance, wearing a neck brace and an oxygen mask.
The accident unfolded as riders approached a right-hand-turn, with one of them experiencing a tire slip, leading to other riders veering off the road. Large rocks were present in the vicinity, though it remains unconfirmed whether any of the riders made contact with them.
Australian cyclist Jay Vine was transported to the hospital following the crash. Remco Evenepoel, who has claimed stage victories at the Giro d’Italia and the Spanish Vuelta, was able to walk away from the accident but was still taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Despite enduring a significant fall on Wednesday, Primoz Roglic had taken the lead in the overall race. However, his race came to an abrupt halt as he ended up in a drainage ditch. Later, he was seen walking towards a Bora-Hansgrohe team car and departed from the scene with assistance from team staff.
Lennard Kamna was struck by an oncoming vehicle during a training ride in Tenerife, resulting in serious injuries. His accident occurred just one day before his teammate Primoz Roglic’s injury. Kamna was anticipated to spend several days in the intensive care unit due to his injuries.
The race was brought to a halt until the finish line, with only six riders from the leading group permitted to contest the sprint for the stage victory. The race restart had to be postponed until medical personnel could rejoin the event to provide assistance to the remaining riders.
Jonas Vingegaard emerged victorious in both races he contested this season: the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Gran Camino in Spain. With these wins under his belt, Vingegaard is widely regarded as a top contender for success once more at the Tour de France. Notably, this year’s Tour concluded with a time trial in Nice, owing to the Paris Olympics.
Visma sports director Addy Engels informed Eurosport via radio that “We received reports of Jonas Vingegaard being caught up in a significant accident.”