Jonas Vingegaard, the two-time Tour de France winner, crashed during a training ride near Málaga, Spain, on Monday after being tailed by an amateur cyclist. His team, Visma-Lease a Bike, confirmed the incident and urged fans to prioritise safety when interacting with professional riders on the road.
The crash occurred on a descent of Fuente la Reina. Amateur cyclist Pedro García Fernández posted on Strava that he had followed Vingegaard and that the Dane “crashed while trying to drop me”. Fernández claimed Vingegaard was angry after the incident, stating: “You can be a professional, but you can also be humble.”
Another Strava user, S.Enduro, said they found Vingegaard with a bleeding face by the roadside. “He must have hit it hard to drag his face along the ground,” the user wrote, adding that Vingegaard angrily told them to go away. The witness commented that professionals should be given space and respect, as they risk their lives and livelihoods.
Visma-Lease a Bike stated that Vingegaard is “OK and did not sustain any serious injuries”. The team reminded fans to “always put safety first” and allow riders to train in peace. The incident follows a trend of amateurs filming or interacting with pros on the road; last week, Vingegaard warned a cyclist about a blind corner, and in December, Mathieu van der Poel narrowly avoided a crash after a sprint race with an amateur.
Despite the crash, Vingegaard is expected to recover in time for his season opener at the UAE Tour in mid-February. He has confirmed he will race the Giro d'Italia in May for the first time, aiming to become the first rider since Chris Froome in 2018 to win all three Grand Tours.
