Vingegaard to co-lead at Vuelta a España as Jumbo-Visma eye Grand Tour grand slam
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Jonas Vingegaard has confirmed that he will ride the 2023 Vuelta a España after securing victory in the Tour de France, further bolstering one of the strongest Vuelta contenders list seen for years.
“See you in Barcelona, in the Vuelta,” Vingegaard told Spanish sports daily Marca and other Spanish media on Sunday morning before travelling to Paris for the final stage of the Tour.
"I will try to go for GC and Primož [Roglič] will as well. Obviously we are two leaders," he said in a pre-Tour de France stage 21 interview.
Vingegaard and Roglič are stand out names in a high-quality field that also includes last year’s Vuelta winner Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and the riders who finished second and third in this year’s Giro d’Italia: Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).
Former Vuelta podium finishers Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Enric Mas (Movistar) and Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) are also pencilled in for the race.
Tadej Pogcar's UAE Team Emirates squad quickly said they would not be swayed by Vingegaard's decision, with the Slovenian expected to focus on the end of season Classics instead of the Vuelta.
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Due to be crowned Tour de France winner on Sunday for a second year running, Vingegaard will have a month to recover before travelling to Spain for the start of the Vuelta a España in Barcelona on August 26th.
He will start the Vuelta as joint team leader at Jumbo-Visma with Primož Roglič, who won the Giro d’Italia in May. Roglic is targeting a record-equalling fourth Vuelta victory this autumn. Super domestique Sepp Kuss is also expected to ride the Vuelta if he recovers from his stage 20 crash and the fatigue of riding the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. Wilco Kelderman and Attila Valter are also part of the team's long list.
It is not clear what eventual role Vingegaard will play in the Jumbo-Visma plans for Vuelta, but his presence will considerably strengthen the team as they fight to become the first team ever to win all three Grand Tours in a single year.
"Winning three Grand Tours this year is the goal," team manager Richard Plugge recently confirmed to Het Laatste Nieuws.
Vingegaard has never ridden two Grand Tours in the same season before but in 2020 he played an instrumental role in the mountains of the Vuelta as support for Roglic, including a memorable stint on the tough Alto de la Farrapona in northern Spain.
The 2023 Vuelta a España features a typically mountainous route, including summit finishes on the Tourmalet and the Angliru as well as a medium-length mid-race time trial in Valladolid.
