Danish disappointment as Vingegaard turns down World Championships

Jonas Vingegaard has turned down the chance to ride the Road World Championships, with Denmark's national selector expressing disappointment at the decision of the Tour de France champion and his trade team, Jumbo-Visma.

Vingegaard, who emphatically beat Tadej Pogačar to win the Tour last month, was part of Danish plans for the Worlds in Australia, but Jumbo-Visma have reportedly outlined a different late-season calendar for the 25-year-old. 

The Worlds road race, which takes place on September 25, does not directly clash with any major races but it is likely Vingegaard will focus on the Italian Classics, starting the following weekend and running through to Il Lombardia on October 8. 

"I had a dialogue with Jumbo-Visma before and after the Tour de France. And after the Tour, they announced firmly that it was not part of the plans for Vingegaard to drive the World Championships," Danish coach Anders Lund told TV 2 Sport.

"I always want all the professionals to stand and raise their hands in the air and want to ride for the national team, so I would also have liked to see Vingegaard in the group of riders who want to ride the World Championships.

"But I take it into account, and I can see from the squad that it will be more than effective anyway. So I sleep well at night."

The road race in Wollongong totals 267km on a hilly course with nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain. While exacting, it does not have long or hard enough climbs to really play to the strengths of Vingegaard, who has never ridden the Worlds. 

Denmark have already named four riders in their selection, with the squad set to line up with a full eight riders, the last four of which have yet to be announced. 

Jakob Fuglsang, Magnus Cort, Søren Kragh Andersen, and Mattias Skjelmose are all assured of a place, while the highest-profile rider yet to secure a spot is Mads Pedersen, the 2019 world champion. There will be no Kasper Asgreen after the Classics specialist ended his season early due to fatigue.

"I am a privileged national coach when we look at our nation and riders. We always have big ambitions in these races, because they are races that generally suit the Danes well," said Lund 

"We are often able to make something become more when we collaborate well. It is characteristic of the Danish national team. We are good at running the team's chances, even if several stars are not there."