SAITAMA (Japan) – Former Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard capped off his season with a stirring victory at Japan’s Saitama Criterium on Sunday, marking a triumphant end to a year defined by resilience and recovery.
The 28-year-old Dane, who suffered a devastating crash during the Tour of the Basque Country last year, said he finally feels back to his best after months of physical and mental rehabilitation. “You never really know if you’ll get back to the same level after a crash like that,” Vingegaard said. “It’s only now, at the end of this year, that I can see I’m able to push in the same way again.”
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After finishing runner-up at this year’s Tour de France and securing his third Grand Tour title at the Vuelta a España, Vingegaard closed his season in style by outpacing Italy’s Jonathan Milan and Australia’s Kaden Groves in Saitama. Despite suffering a minor crash during the 60km race, he quickly remounted and surged back to take the win.
“I just slipped and was lucky not to hurt myself,” he said. “At first, I only thought about getting back to the bunch—but then I saw an opportunity and went solo from there.” The victory underscored his full return to form and renewed focus on future races.
Vingegaard, who missed last year’s Paris Olympics due to his injuries, said he now hopes to move beyond recovery and aim for continued improvement in the 2026 cycling season.