Jonas Vingegaard admitted he was just happy to be at the start of the Tour de France after his terrible Itzulia Basque Country crash in early April that left him with a punctured lung and numerous fractured ribs.
He described the crash, his injuries and his gradual recovery as "probably the hardest moment of my career" as he opened up about his crash and the consequences for the first time on the eve of the Tour de France in Florence.
The two-time Tour de France winner remains the designated leader of the Visma-Lease a Bike team and is even quietly ambitious but he is also realistic about his chances of winning a third consecutive Tour de France.
"I'm just happy to be here at the start line of the Tour de France. I think that's a victory in itself. I'm very happy and looking forward to the race now," he said, often repeating his thoughts as a defence mechanism to a series of questions about his physical and mental condition.
"I want to go for the best possible result in GC. But to be honest, it was a very, very bad crash, so just to be here, I'm very happy, and that's a victory in itself. Everything from here is a bonus."
Vingegaard sat centre stage in the main council hall of Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, occupying the seat usually occupied by the city's mayor. Wout Van Aert sat to his left and Matteo Jorgenson sat to his right, already in their roles as protectors and trusted wingmen for the race against Tadej Pogačar, former teammate Primož Roglič, Remco Evenepoel and many others.
Visma-Lease a Bike have lost Sepp Kuss due to COVID-19 but Jorgenson confirmed he will play a support role, while Van Aert hopes to target stage victories and prepare for the Paris Olympics.
It was noted that Vingegaard did not say 'victory' when talking about his Tour de France hopes. There is a reason.
"To be honest, I just don't know," he said. "We might have to fight to hang on early in the race and then later in the race, we'll find our normal level. We'll find out in the coming days."
Vingegaard isolated himself from the media and cycling world after his crash, spending two weeks in hospital and then further time at home as he began training outdoors. In June he joined his teammates in the French Alps for an altitude training camp but it was far from the ideal Tour de France preparation.
"I did a lot of work, a lot of good work, and I'm not in a bad shape. But it was such a bad crash that everything from here is a bonus. Of course, I have my hopes that it will happen and we'll see," he said.
"I had to take a long break after my crash. I had a lot of injuries that needed to heal before I was able to train properly. It's one thing when you can start riding outside, it's another thing when you can start to do proper training. It was mostly about making it in time for the Tour de France."
Vingegaard's wife and young daughter again played a vital role in helping him return in time for the Tour. They joined him as he headed to the Thursday evening team presentation and will stay with him on the race.
"They have been there for me, not only in the last three months, but for all the time, but especially in the last three months, it has really meant everything for me. Now they are here with me as well," he said.
"I just hope that all the good work we did together will pay off. We'll see in the coming three weeks."
Vingegaard admitted that he had to fight the pain as he tried to combine his physical recovery and training for the Tour.
"I think in that situation, you just think about fighting back rather than feeling sorry for yourself. And that's what I did, and what me and my family have done for the last three months, trying everything we could to get ready for this race," he said.
"It's a race that means a lot, not only for me but for the three of us. So I'm happy that they've stood behind me and that I'm here now on the start line.
"Of course, if I wouldn't have crashed, I would definitely say I'm here for victory. But things have changed. I still have the hope that I'm good enough to fight for victory at least. But I guess we will see in the coming three weeks."
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