‘It’s only right he’s there’ - UAE react to Jonas Vingegaard’s decision to race the Tour de France

Tour de France 2023: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the final podium
Tour de France 2023: Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the final podium (Image credit: Getty Images)

UAE Team Emirates team manager Joxean Fernández Matxin has said that it is “only right” that double Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) will be taking part in the race this year and that “I don't doubt that even if he had a 10% chance of winning, I’d have done the same.”

Vingegaard’s Tour de France participation was thrown into considerable doubt when he was badly injured in a major mass crash in the Itzulia Basque Country in April. Since then he has not raced but has concentrated fully on recovery. 

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.