Fan shocked to see Jonas Vingegaard with hairy legs
The defending Tour de France champion is training in the French Alps, but hasn't raced in months
Photo by:
Sirotti
The question every cycling fan is asking is: will Jonas Vingegaard be at the Tour de France? If he does, he may need to get out a razor.
The defending champion is training with his Visma – Lease a Bike teammates in the French alps, and YouTuber Josep Termans happened to see the killer bees up close.
Termans spoke to Danish outlet B.T. about the day he saw Vingegaard and his teammates Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte training ride at La Rosière Ski Resort near the border between France and Italy.
They were out on a long ride, where I followed them for an hour as they rode slowly,” Termans said “For all the time I was behind them, Jonas was behind Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte. That surprised me a bit.”
Termans said that Vingegaard looking in good shape, but of course, he can’t say much more than that.
“Many people ask me, but it’s impossible to say how good Jonas’s form is. While Laporte and Van Aert led the way–in both conversation and riding–Jonas Vingegaard was more reserved on the training ride,” he explained. “They talked a lot. It was mostly Van Aert and Laporte who talked together. Vingegaard talked too, but the other two are like a radio, they talk a lot.”
One thing that surprised Termans, when he was riding behind the Dane–was his his unshorn legs.
“I was riding right behind Jonas, and it surprised me that he had so many hairs on his legs,” Termans said. “They were riding on a new bike. It was the same type of bike they usually have, but with a new paint job.”
Vingegaard is in a race against time after his crash in Spain. After the accident in Basque Country and spending 12 days in the hospital, Vingegaard finally resumed training. First it was in his native Denmark, before heading to Mallorca, and then France.
The fan said that the Visma lads had no problem with him hanging on during their training session.
“They are really nice people. When I rode away, I also said thank you, and they appreciated that. If you give them space, they are cool,” he said. “I feel very lucky to meet the biggest stars on the roads.”
Termans lives in the area, working at the ski resort, and rides the mountainous roads after–both on the road and trail.
According to Visma – Lease a Bike, Vingegaard will only ride to win, not just to show up. So if his form isn’t up to snuff, it’s possible he will have to skip the Tour in 2024. Furthermore, the decision on his inclusion at the biggest stage race of the year may very well come down to the last minute.
The Tour de France begins on June 29, and you can watch it on FloBikes.com
