About a month into the Grand Départ in Copenhagen, Vingegaard is back on familiar ground. Not empty-handed, but with a Tour win in his pocket. After a number of holidays in the Netherlands, where Jumbo-Visma is located, the Dane flew home. The circle is round.
During the flight he received special escort in a private jet: two F-16s from the defense flew with him. That is a tradition in the Scandinavian countries after special sports achievements. The Danish media labeled the Tour win as the ‘greatest sporting achievement ever’.
When Vingegaard had set foot on Danish soil, the festivities really started. The Tour winner drove through the city in a convertible after speaking to the press, waving to the thousands of fans who lined the road ahead of him. The route leads to Tivoli Park, where some 25,000 compatriots have gathered for the ceremony. Festivities will take place tomorrow in his hometown of Glyngore.
Vingegaard is the second Dane in history to win the Tour de France. Bjarne Riis did it in 1996.