Jonas Vingegaard 'excited' to ride in Paris-Nice for Visma-Lease a Bike after recovering from illness and injury

Jonas Vingegaard is going to get his season underway with Paris-Nice, after the Danish rider was forced to pull out of the UAE Tour citing injury and illness concerns. He is aiming for a Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double in 2026 for Visma-Lease a Bike, renewing his Grand Tour rivalry with Tadej Pogacar along the way. Watch and stream the 2026 cycling season live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

There is some good news for Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike, with the Dane "excited" to begin his season in March at Paris-Nice.

Vingegaard has had a disrupted start to his 2026 season, with a crash derailing his plans before illness further hampered his preparation for what could be a historic year.

The former Tour de France winner is aiming for a Grand Tour double in 2026, riding in the Giro d’Italia before making a tilt at reclaiming the yellow jersey from rival Tadej Pogacar. 

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Vingegaard’s season was supposed to start with the UAE Tour, but once he pulled out of that stage race, he was expected to begin at the Volta a Catalunya.

That would have left him beginning the Giro with just the one race under his belt - but now Visma have revealed that their man will line up for Paris-Nice.

"I am excited to be at the start of Paris-Nice once again. It is a prestigious race with a lot of history. As a team, we have a title to defend here," Vingegaard said on social media.

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"After crashing and falling ill, I took the necessary time to recover. Now I feel ready to start racing again and am looking forward to it after a long winter of training."

Vingegaard crashed in an incident with a fan in January, with his team later releasing a statement asking fans to "put safety first."

Soon after that, it was revealed that Vingegaard would not take part in the UAE Tour, leaving him very light on competitive racing before he makes his Giro debut in May. 

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By adding in Paris-Nice, Vingegaard will have two multi-day races to stretch his legs before making a bid for the Maglia Rosa. 

Paris-Nice begins on March 8, with Visma’s Matteo Jorgenson having won the race for the past two seasons. He is missing it this year, after opting to focus on the Classics.

Vingegaard has raced Paris-Nice twice before, in 2023 and last season - a race that did not go to plan for the Dane, as he crashed when leading and injured his wrist. 

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Video credit: TNT Sports

He was forced to withdraw as a result of that injury, before going on to finish runner-up to Pogacar in the Tour de France. Vingegaard then rounded out his season with victory in the La Vuelta.

He will be hoping for a smoother Paris-Nice outing this year, having already endured more than enough disruption in 2026.

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Watch and stream the 2026 cycling season - including the Tour de France in July - live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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