Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) has no scheduled return to racing following successful surgery on the fractured right collarbone that ended his Tour de France challenge on stage 15.
Marc Reef, a directeur sportif with Visma-Lease a Bike, told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Sport that Vingegaard could compete again before the end of 2026. However, the team will not decide his programme until after the Tour concludes on Sunday, July 26.
Vingegaard underwent surgery in Denmark on Tuesday, two days after his crash. Reef described the procedure as straightforward and said it had produced the expected outcome.
“It went well. They did what they had to,” Reef said in the TV 2 Sport update. “It wasn't the most complicated operation you can have. Everything went well.”
A late-season return remains possible, but Reef said the physical and mental demands of Vingegaard's campaign would factor into the decision.
“It's something we need to discuss after the Tour, and after the Tour we will sit down and talk about what is going to happen,” Reef said. “It's already been a tough season.”
“It's both possible that Vingegaard will get back on the bike this year,” he added. “While it's also possible that he won't.”
The World Championships and Il Lombardia are possible objectives on the remaining calendar, although neither has been confirmed by Visma-Lease a Bike. Vingegaard has built his career around stage races rather than one-day events, making either target a departure from his usual programme.
Stage 15 crash ended Vingegaard's Tour challenge
Vingegaard abandoned the Tour on Sunday, July 19, after falling in a corner around 20 kilometres from the stage finish at Plateau de Solaison. The team's subsequent examinations found the collarbone fracture and multiple abrasions, with surgery recommended because of the fracture's severity.
The Dane was second overall when he withdrew, having started the stage 4 minutes 30 seconds behind the race leader. His withdrawal ended his attempt to add another Tour title to his victories from 2022 and 2023 and ruled him out of the final six stages.
Visma-Lease a Bike had been pursuing an aggressive plan before the crash. Bruno Armirail and Victor Campenaerts entered the breakaway with 95 kilometres remaining, then returned to help drive the group of favourites towards the final climb.
“I think we did a really strong stage,” Reef said to reporters following Stage 15. “Jonas was feeling extremely good and all of a sudden the roundabout was there.”
“He fractured his collarbone and because of the interference he will need to have surgery.”
The crash followed Vingegaard's Giro d'Italia victory in May, when he won five stages and finished 5:22 ahead of Felix Gall. That result made the 29-year-old the eighth rider to win all three Grand Tours, following his Tour successes and 2025 Vuelta a España title.
Teammate Sepp Kuss said Vingegaard was already looking towards the 2027 Tour after the crash, but his return this year remains undecided. His immediate programme will be decided after the current Tour ends.
Cover image credit: Thomas Maheux
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