Jonas Vingegaard to Race Paris-Nice 2026, Eyes Giro d’Italia | Cycling News

Jonas Vingegaard will commence his 2026 cycling season at the Paris-Nice race in March, his team Visma-Lease a Bike announced Monday, marking his return to competition after a training crash and subsequent illness disrupted his initial plans for the UAE Tour.

The two-time Tour de France champion had originally intended to launch his season at the UAE Tour, but a crash during training in Spain in late January forced a change of schedule. Vingegaard confirmed he has recovered and is prepared to race, stating, “I am excited to be at the start of Paris-Nice once again. It is a prestigious race with a lot of history.”

Visma-Lease a Bike is aiming to defend its title at Paris-Nice, a race they won in the past two years with Matteo Jorgenson, who is not competing with the team this year. Vingegaard’s participation comes after he was forced to abandon the 2025 Paris-Nice race following a crash on the sixth stage.

The Danish rider’s 2026 season is ambitiously planned around a challenging double attempt: competing in both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. This year’s Giro d’Italia will be particularly significant for Vingegaard, as it is the only one of the three Grand Tours he has yet to win. He will follow this with a bid to add to his 2022 and 2023 Tour de France victories.

Vingegaard’s preparation for the season has been marked by setbacks, including a crash involving a fan during training, echoing similar disruptions experienced in previous years. He previously crashed at the Itzulia Basque Country in 2024 and at Paris-Nice in 2025.

Paris-Nice will take place from March 8th to 15th, and is expected to feature strong competition from riders such as Juan Ayuso and João Almeida. Vingegaard will then compete in the Volta a Catalunya from March 23rd to 29th, further building towards his Grand Tour goals.