Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard claimed he was not properly checked by race doctors after he was concussed in a crash during the Paris-Nice in March.
Vingegaard hurt his left hand when he hit the ground in a climb during the fifth stage of the weeklong race, and the Visma-Lease a Bike team leader later revealed he also suffered a head trauma.
Vingegaard, who has yet to resume racing, said during a press conference on Monday that he was surprised by the lack of precaution after his crash.
“I went to the race doctor because I had some blood on my face,” he said. “I was bleeding, but they never once checked me for concussion, which I find a bit odd, to be honest.
“Like, it was visible that my glasses were broken, I had blood on my face, I even had a little bit of blood here on the eyebrow. For me, that was a bit odd that they didn’t check me for a concussion.”
International Cycling Union rules say riders who are suspected of having a concussion should immediately be assessed by a physician or a healthcare professional if “red flags” are noted after a blow to the head.
“Speaking more for the future, I think as soon as somebody has something within the shoulders and above, like, that’s visible, and you see that they hit something there, they should check them for a concussion,” he said. ”Once I go to the medical car, they should at least check me when they can see that I hit my face.”
After the crash, Vingegaard got back on his bike and finished the stage before retiring. He then withdrew from the Catalonia Volta.
He said he really struggled in the aftermath of the crash.
“When I had been awake for about an hour or so, I had to sleep for about an hour and a half for the first three, four days,” he said. “I did have a concussion, and I was really suffering from it at the start.”
Vingegaard is at a training camp, getting ready for the Tour de France, his biggest goal this year. The three-week race takes place from July 5-27. Before then, Vingegaard’s race program includes the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, a tough race that many Tour contenders use to fine-tune their preparations.
Vingegaard was runner-up at the Tour last year, lagging more than six minutes behind Tadej Pogacar. But his preparations last year were hampered by a crash three months beforehand when he sustained a broken collarbone and ribs, and a collapsed lung.
“Last year, I had this nasty crash and it did not feel like the optimal preparation for the Tour de France,” he said. “This year, I crashed again in the spring. So, I feel like I missed out a bit on the whole spring campaign. I have even more motivation to go to the Tour de France.”
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