Visma-Lease a Bike have confirmed that 2024 Tour de France runner-up Jonas Vingegaard will return to racing on the Clásica San Sebastian (August 10) and the Tour de Pologne (August 12-19) in August.
After ending second within the 2024 Tour de France behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Vingegaard dominated out a return to the Vuelta a España, the place he completed second general in 2023, later this summer season.
But three days after the Tour ended, the Tour de Pologne organisers already introduced that Vingegaard could be returning to the race the place he took a breakthrough first professional victory in its hardest stage by means of the mountains of southern Poland, again in 2019.
On Friday, Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed that the Clásica San Sebastian had been to the Dane’s summer season race schedule. His teammates for the ultra-hilly Classic will embody Vuelta a Burgos chief and 2023 Vuelta a España champion Sepp Kuss and the previous Giro d’Italia podium finisher Wilco Kelderman.
Also included for Visma-Lease A Bike within the Basque Classic is up-and-coming British professional, Thomas Gloag, who solely not too long ago accomplished a protracted spell away from racing, recovering from accidents incurred in 2023, and whose final occasion final yr was, because it occurs, the Clásica San Sebastian.
“I used to be very drained after the Tour. For 5 days, I did completely nothing. I recharged my batteries after which began coaching once more. Everything went nicely. I at present really feel recent and am able to tackle the subsequent two races,” Vingegaard defined in an announcement launched by his workforce.
“The race in San Sebastián and the Tour de Pologne are two lovely races. Moreover, I’ve a particular bond with Poland. It was the place I achieved my first victory within the WorldTour.”
The newest race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
“It looks like I nonetheless have one thing to show there. In 2019, I gained the toughest stage and I then began the subsequent day within the chief’s jersey, however I couldn’t safe the general victory.
“I’m decided to win this yr, however in fact, the competitors is to not be underestimated.”
While the workforce confirmed that they are going to be going for the general in Pologne with Vingegaard – “He has unfinished enterprise there” was how his workforce director Maerten Wynants put it – Visma-Lease a Bike can even be looking for their probabilities within the sprints within the week-long occasion with Olav Kooij. The younger Dutch fastman took his first WorldTour win in Pologne again in 2022.
First, although, Vingegaard will likely be racing within the Basque Country for the primary time since his horrible crash, sparking main accidents, on the Alto de Oleata in the course of the Itzulia this April.
In the umpteenth revision to the route for Saturday’s Clásica, the 237km race will doubtless be determined by a late trio of climbs, the well-known Jaizkebel close to the French border, the relentlessly exhausting cat 1 Erlaitz and a brand new, shorter, however even harder climb, the Pilotegi, with slopes of as much as 27%, simply eight kilometres from the road.
“It will likely be particular to return to the Basque Country after all the things that occurred a couple of months in the past,” Vingegaard, whose sole participation within the Clásica got here in 2021, when he completed eighth.
“Fortunately, I even have many good reminiscences of that area, so I’m actually trying ahead to racing there once more.”