The Visma-Lease a Bike squad continue to train at altitude in the French Alps, with a team photograph sparking further speculation that Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert will ride the 2024 Tour de France.
The Dutch team has played down reports that Vingegaard and Van Aert have fully recovered from their spring crashes, with team manager Richard Plugge repeating that Vinegegaard would only target a third consecutive Tour de France if ‘100% fit’.
However everything points to both riders being on the start line in Florence on Saturday, June 29.
Vingegaard, Van Aert plus teammates Matteo Jorgenson, Jan Tratnik, Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot posed for a photograph after another long day of training in the Alps that included dirt roads and 5,100 metres of vertical climbing.
The photograph appears to show the core of the Visma-Lease a Bike team for the Tour de France. The six are expected to be joined by the USA’s Sepp Kuss and Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman in the final lineup.
Vingegaard suffered a punctured lung and other injuries in the Itzulia Basque Country crash in April but has since made a low-profile but steady recovery. He may not be at his very best but is expected to ride the Tour. He is reportedly set to become a father for a second time later this year and so the Vuelta a España is not set to form part of his plans.
Van Aert has made the Paris Olympic time trial and road race major goals but after missing the Giro d’Italia and the team’s numerous injuries, he is also likely to be part of the Visma-Lease a Bike eight-rider Tour de France squad. He arrived at altitude on June 2, following a training schedule for the Tour de France rather than the Olympic Games.
Visma-Lease a Bike may only name their final lineup next week, just before travelling to Florence on Wednesday for the Grand Depart, as they continue to play mind games with major rival Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates.
Kuss quit the Critérium du Dauphiné before the final mountain stage after struggling during the race, with Visma-Lease a Bike saying, “with his preparation for the Tour de France in mind, it was decided to take the necessary rest”.
However, the American is expected to play a vital role in the mountains yet again, as will new signing Jorgenson after his second-place overall at the Dauphiné.
Kelderman fractured his collarbone at Paris-Nice and missed the Giro d’Italia but is expected to replace Steven Kruijswijk, who crashed at the Dauphiné, fracturing his pelvis and collarbone. Dylan van Baarle also crashed out of the French stage race and is expected to be replaced by Tratnik. Laporte only rode a week of the Giro d’Italia but was part of the 2022 and 2023 Tour winning team.
Tratnik finished the Giro and is expected to move to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in 2025 but is considered a vital domestique.
The altitude camp and especially the second and third weeks are vital tests for the riders. Van Aert will miss this week’s Belgian time trial championships and only return home for Sunday’s road race.
“For me, it's fifty-fifty whether Jonas makes it to the Tour,” Vingegaard’s coach Tim Heemskerk told Danish newspaper BT last week.
“He needed to be able to follow the programme if he was to have hopes of being ready for the Tour,” Heemskerk said. “The first week at altitude was adaptation and recovery, and now he's just had a tough week. And now there will be another one.
“The important thing will be how he reacts to it. Can he handle it? Will he get tired? The coming week and the one after are essential for the Tour. It's also important that he gets a feeling of ‘Wow, I feel more and more ready'.”
