Jonas Vingegaard is Taking No Risks at This Tour de France

Jonas Vingegaard turned heads when he rolled up to the start of stage 2 of the Tour de France in a face mask.

Surely the Visma-Lease a Bike leader can’t be sick already?

Or is COVID floating about?

Not so.

Vingegaard explained Sunday morning that he’s going full “safety first” after he relished a perfect start to this Tour de France.

“There’s already some sickness in the bunch. As I’ve been sick in my last two Tours de France. I want to be on the safe side and to try to stay healthy,” Vingegaard told reporters at the stage 2 start line.

“It’s more of a precaution on my side; I don’t have anything at all.”

Sickness has proven to be almost as big a nemesis to Vingegaard as Tadej Pogacar.

The Dane has fallen ill in almost all of his recent grand tours – including when he rode to title victory at the 2025 Vuelta a España and at the recent Giro d’Italia.

After shaking the demons of two years of defeat to Pogačar in Saturday’s stage 1 TTT,  Vingegard refused to take any chances amid thousands of fans Sunday morning in Tarragona.

“There are a lot more people here, a lot more spectators and journalists, things that can go around,” Vingegaard said Sunday. “I just want to stay safer than in the last grand tours.”

The grand tour peloton is like a Petri dish of assorted ailments.

Riders show up to the Tour de France razor-thin and on the brink of burnout.

G.I. complaints and chest infections float past their faces as they share air with rivals, fans, and the media.

Some form of mini-epidemic will inevitably crop up come week three of the Tour de France. This year, Vingegaard won’t let himself be a victim of it.