In the thrilling world of professional cycling, a new star has emerged, capturing the hearts of fans and igniting excitement with every pedal stroke. Meet Jonas Vingegaard, the Danish dynamo who has taken the cycling scene by storm, leaving an indelible mark on the road to greatness, especially within the general classification on grand tours and specifically Le Tour de France.

PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Born on December 10, 1996, in Denmark, Vingegaard's journey to cycling stardom began with a passion for two wheels and an unwavering determination. While details about his early life are scarce, we do know Jonas worked as a fish monger before becoming a full time professional cyclist.

Whilst filleting herrings, it was one Strava KOM (King of the Mountain) in particular that got the Dane noticed by professional cycling team Jumbo-Visma - Coll de Rates. It's a popular climb for pros just outside Calp in Spain. Its clocked up 273,233 attempts by 40,542 people including the majority of the worlds top pros. Not an easy KOM! But on Mar 3, 2018 Jonas smashed the best time by some margin and took the crown. If you want to get geeky his performance worked out to about 6.7w/kg. It wasn't long after that Jumbo-Visma came knocking on his door.

IMAGE: JUMBO-VISMA

So there you go, next time your ripping your guts out on your local climb and taking the KOM you may well get an email from a world tour team. Highly unlikely but hey ho, it's possible as demonstrated by Mr Vingegaard. 

Update December 2024