MADRID, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard left hospital in the city of Vitoria, northern Spain on Tuesday, 12 days after suffering multiple injuries in a crash in the Itzulia (Tour of the Basque Country) cycle race.
The cyclist, who has won the last two editions of the Tour de France, broke his collarbone and several ribs, as well as suffering a pulmonary contusion and a pneumothorax, which meant he had to be kept in observation after undergoing an operation on his injuries last week.
Vingegaard's Visma-Lease a Bike team published a photograph of the Danish rider along with a message reading: "Hello everyone, it's time for me to leave the hospital."
"I want to thank all the medical staff for taking so good care of me. And I want to thank everyone for their moral support. I have received a lot of messages, presents and drawings. Heartwarming! Now it's time to fully recover again. Thumbs up!!"
With just over 70 days before the 2024 edition of the Tour starts in the Italian city of Florence, it's still uncertain whether Vingegaard will have recovered sufficiently to be at the 'Grand Depart' and even less clear he will have the fitness needed to be able to compete for a third successive win.
Last year, Vingegaard's main rival Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) missed over a month of training after breaking his wrist in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 23 and was short of the fitness he needed to compete with Vingegaard in the 2023 Tour and Vingegaard is likely to be off his bike for a similar time, if not more.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) broke his collarbone and shoulder blade in the same crash in the Basque Region and is another podium favorite who is racing against time to recover for the Tour and also the Olympic Games, where the course looks to favor a rider able to combine stamina and climbing ability with a rapid sprint. ■
