“I Hope That I Will Be Selected, But…”: Danish Cyclist Jonas Vingegaard Faces Road Race Dilemma, Eyes Zürich World Championships With Doubt and Determination

Published 11/17/2023, 11:52 AM EST

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Jonas Vingegaard has been one of the top performers in the Denmark road race cycling. His exceptional display ensured Denmark a place at the Paris Olympics in the men’s road race category. Now, with four spots to fill and Vingegaard already sitting atop the points list, he looks like an automatic choice. Or is it? Well, the reality is something entirely different. Keeping Vingegaard’s skills in mind, there might be a possibility of Denmark dropping him altogether. 

As surprising as this sounds, the cyclist himself has confirmed the news. He stated that the national coaches in charge might choose four different cyclists, and he would not be surprised by the decision. Now, with the Paris Olympics enveloped in doubts, Vingegaard has turned his attention elsewhere to seek glory. 

Cyclist eyeing World Championship glory

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Jonas Vingegaard is one of the most prolific climbers in road racing history. However, the fight for the Olympics seems to be too tight. Several promising cyclists have made the selection procedure a tricky area, provided there are only four spots. He is prepared for the best but also for unfavorable news. He stated to a Danish news agency, “I hope that I will be selected, but it will not surprise me if I am not. It may well be that the national coach chooses four others instead.” With that being said, the question arises, what lies in the future for the talented Vingegaard? Well, he himself has the answer and it’s a pretty impressive one. 

The Zurich World Championship will be underway soon and the Danish is eyeing to clinch the title. Unfortunately, there are certain factors about the race that might go against the athlete. The track at Zurich is one of the most difficult ones to scale. An elevation of approximately 4470 meters awaits anyone who aims to take a shot at the championship. Now, Vingegaard is a cyclist who usually competes in races ranging from 250 km max. Even without significant experiences in Ardennes or Classics, we can surely trust the skill and technicality of the Danish to pull it through. 

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Vingegaard himself looked quite confident about the race. He stated, “I think I’m going to ride [in Zürich]. It is somewhat safer, both because there is room for more riders and the route suits my type of rider better,” Thus, it is now a matter of time before we can confirm whether Vingegaard can lay his hands on the coveted World Championship or not. However, Vingegaard’s journey to fame was not laden with rose petals. 

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The incredible journey of Jonas Vingegaard

Jonas Vingegaard was fascinated as he watched the Tour De France cyclists whizz past as a 10-year-old child. However, little did he know that he himself would be able to participate in what seemed like a distant dream. The road was not easy. After finishing school, Vingegaard had to find a job to stabilize the finances. He started to work at a fish auction house. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and was compelled to leave the job. However, Vingegaard came back strong as he once again took up a job in a fish factory. 

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The cyclist ultimately left his job there to pursue his dream, of cycling in 2018. He joined a team and started preparing himself for the big stage. Soon, Vingegaard’s talents spoke for him, and he began to scale the cycling heights quickly. The epitome of his success came when he won the prestigious Tour De France for two consecutive times in 2022 & 2023. Now, with his Paris evenings in jeopardy, let us hope Vingegaard would be able to add another feather to his cap in Zurich. What do you think? Comment and let us know below. 

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Written by:

Disita Sikdar

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Disita Sikdar is a Viral Sports Moments writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed her bachelor's degree in English from Bhawanipur Education Society College affiliated under the University of Calcutta, she will soon be stepping towards pursuing her masters in English. She has experience working as a content creator and social media manager previously.
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Edited by:

Arnima Shukla