After crashing last week in Tour of the Basque Country, Jonas Vingegaard was admtited to Txagorritxu Hospital in Vitoria, Spain where he had surgery on his collarbone.
From the team: “Jonas had a successful operation on his collarbone. He will now spend the next few weeks recovering. It is not yet clear how long this will take. He is doing well and expresses his gratitude to everyone for their kind words over the past few days.”
After that he was put in ICU to be closely monitored. He was diagnosed with pneumothorax, where air is trapped between the lung and the chest wall.
This complication prolongs his stay in Spain and makes doubtful his participation in the Tour de France. According to Spanish news site as.com, there was the suggestion of the possibility of Vingegaard’s transfer to Denmark via a medicalized plane.
Patients with pneumothorax due to injury are advised to take a two-week waiting period before air travel. The specialized aircraft, typically have medical facilities like intensive care units. Cabin pressure can be adjusted to mimic ground-level conditions, so the pneumothorax holds steady and prevents worsening of the condition.
“It’s really hell for us. A week after his fall, my wife and I still haven’t heard from Jonas,” Claus Vingegaard said. “We just haven’t had the chance yet to hear more. Not to hear more with Jonas, but also not with his wife and his team, Visma – Lease a Bike. I don’t know how that is possible, but there has to be a way to hear more, right?”
According to Spanish Diaro AS the transfer to Dhis entourage and family, an option that is in the air but has not yet been decided. Vingegaard himself announced at the end of last year that he was moving to live in Switzerland, so the different options would be studied. Furthermore, at least on a medical level, pessimism is increasing regarding the start of the Tour de France, which will be next June 29 in Florence, in 75 days. “ It is not clear how long it will take. Jonas is feeling well and wants to express his gratitude to everyone for his beautiful words in recent days,” Visma said last Tuesday, when he made the operation official for the 27-year-old Dane, accompanied by his wife in the Basque city.
