The three-way battle that some people were expecting to develop between Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard at the European Championships ended before it could even start, as the Dane got dropped with 109km to go in the elite men's road race.
Vingegaard was the biggest unknown from the so-called 'Big Three' when it came to one-day racing, but it quickly became clear that the Vuelta a España champion was feeling the effects of his long, busy season.
As the Slovenian and Belgian teams upped the pace on the second rep up the Saint Romain de Lerps climb, Vingegaard faltered and would end up a non-finisher as Pogačar powered to a dominant 75-kilometre solo win and Evenepoel again – as was the case at the World Championships – came off second best.
His lacklustre performance quickly demanded explanation, with fellow former Danish Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis questioning his preparation after completing his second Grand Tour of the season in September.
"He hasn't trained as much as he should to be ready for the European Championship. My guess is that he hasn't taken it seriously and hasn't trained as much as he should to compete for medals," said Riij as reported by Ekstra Bladet.
"There are 80 men left, and he gets dropped – even at the first acceleration. Then it's because he hasn't trained. He hasn't been on the bike enough in Denmark [since the Vuelta], but he might have a different explanation."
Vingegaard didn't make excuses as he spoke after the race, despite obviously being disappointed with his inability to compete, but did confirm that what Riis had theorised about his lack of full preparation was true.
"I have to admit that I had to take more time off the bike than I had hoped. It took me almost two weeks before I was really back on track and able to train again," Vingegaard explained to Feltet.dk.
"It wasn't because I didn't want to, but it was because I couldn't. I don't know if that was decisive for what happened today, or if it was just the fatigue that's in the body. I've not had the best preparation for this. It was more to try to see if I could do a race – and to compete in the national colours.
"I had hoped for more, but sometimes you don't have the day – and I didn't have that today. So the question is whether it was a bad day for certain reasons, because I've had a tough schedule, or whether the form is just not there. I don't know. But the day wasn't there."
Danish National Coach Michael Mørkøv was similarly disappointed to not have Vingegaard firing on all cylinders as he had hoped, but also expressed how he hoped Championship racing would remain an ambition for the star rider.
"My hope was that Jonas had been sharper than he was, and that with him and Mattias [Skjelmose], we could have had the tactical upper hand," Mørkøv told Feltet.
"It is clear that the hope on paper was that we had Jonas in the same condition as when he won the Vuelta three days ago. I thought he would hang on better, but I have full respect for the program he has had."
"I'm pretty sure that – despite the outcome of the race – he has had a good experience with the national team. I expect to have him in play for the upcoming championships."
"If I prepare well enough, I can also compete for victory in these races," added Vingegaard.
While his rivals will prepare for a final one-day hit out for Il Lombardia and the final Monument of the season, Vingegaard has no more races on his schedule for 2025. His focus will soon turn to the off-season and preparing to try and beat Pogačar at the Tour after losing the past two editions.
The Giro d'Italia also appears a likely goal for the Dane heading into 2026, especially after his Vuelta triumph, as victory would add him to the elite list of seven riders to have won the pink, yellow and red jerseys in their career: Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Chris Froome.
"I already said in the Vuelta that I would like to [ride the Giro next year], but it's not just me, it's also what the team wants," said Vingegaard.
"It is clear that I have my wishes, but we also have to look at it as a team, what our goals will be for next season.
"I also think that the Tour will still be the big goal, and it will be pretty much every year, as long as I'm riding and can compete for victory. So we'll see what happens."
