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He is 25 years old and not only was he the solid leader of the Tour de France, but he has garnered praise for his sportsmanship in the greatest race in world cycling.
Dane Jonas Vingegaard won his first Grand Tour and his life story is as unique as his achievement on the pedals.
The Jumbo-Visma cyclist was born on December 10, 1996 in Hillerslev, Denmark, weighs 60 kilos and measures 1.75 m and is an expert climber.
That is indeed quite an event, considering that the highest point in Denmark is only 171m above sea level.
He has ridden two Tour de France and one Tour of Spain.
His best performance in the grand tours had been second place in the 2021 Tour de France —when he was the revelation—, behind the Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, his escort in this edition.
Credit: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images
An epic Tour and a highly praised sporting gesture
Vingegaard took the Tour lead on stage 11 in the high mountains, 2 minutes 51 seconds ahead of Pogačar, the favorite in the competition, in a memorable battle.
Since then he has not let go of the lead and won, in turn, stage 18.
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At that stage there was a gesture much commented on by the sports media and that has been praised by cyclists and commentators: on the descent of Col de Spandelles, where Vingegaard almost fell, his rival Pogačar did end up on the ground in a curve.
He soon got back on his feet and kept pedaling.
Pocagar falls, Vingegaard waits for him and Pogacar thanks him.
They are first and second in the Tour and everything is at stake at this stage.
What a beautiful sport.
pic.twitter.com/IUCKEzcjoy
– Joan Teixidó i Pau (@joanteixidopau) July 22, 2022
But Vingegaard, aware of his opponent's downfall, decided to wait for him.
The defending champion recognized the Dane's gesture and shook his hand, a moment that went around the world.
The most beautiful moment of the 2022 Tour de France. When we were all waiting for the duel between the leader Jonas Vingegaard and Tajed Pocagar, second overall, this fall of the second came.
The leader looks back, waits for him and shakes his hand.
#TourDeFrance2022 pic.twitter.com/EJ39yx0D6S
– Campo Elías Estrada (@campoelias18) July 21, 2022
At the end of the race Pogačar congratulated Vingegaard for what he did.
They are very big!
😊
🤝 Pocagar congratulates Vingegaard after leaving half #TDF2022 sentenced by the Dane
👏 Huge career that the two are giving us pic.twitter.com/ikWGIviJCi
– Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 21, 2022
Nairo Quintana, the Colombian cyclist who does not give up
Vingegaard's personal life
He worked at a fish plant in the port of Hanstholm in his teens, according to the Olympics.
“I liked doing that even if I had to wake up at five in the morning.
It was a bit relaxing as I didn't have to think too much.
I just had to place orders for soles and cod, take care of the invoices and the auctions,” he told
Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I didn't need to work, but I still didn't know if I could become a professional cyclist.
I only ran in Denmark a couple of days a week and this way I could keep myself busy without getting bored.”
He grew up a fan of handball, swimming and badminton, and is a Liverpool fan.
He decided to become a cyclist when he saw the Tour of Denmark: he excelled in a local cycling club's children's event.
His successes began to come when he began to compete in other European countries to show his potential as a climber.
“I discovered my first climb when I was already 16 years old in Italy.
After that I realized that it was not bad at all, ”he said, quoted by the Olympics.
Credit: YOAN VALAT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
He was signed by Jumbo-Visma when he set a record time in training at Coll de Rates, Spain, when he was racing for ColoQuick in 2018.
He says that he admires the Spaniard Alberto Contador (winner of two Tour de France, two Giro d'Italia and three Vuelta a España), according to statements made to Velo
magazine
.
He is the husband of Trine Hansen and the father of two-year-old Frida.
Her mother-in-law, Rosa Kildhal, is a celebrity in Denmark: she is a cook who participated in the 'Great Danish Bake Off' and 'Dancing with the Stars' and has a YouTube channel with 16,000 subscribers.
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