Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert confirmed in the Tour de France lineup of Visma-Lease A Bike, ending weeks of speculation about fitness and ambition for the biggest race of the 2024 season.

The Visma・Lease A Bike will also be named the yellow Tour de France leader's jersey. The blue Cervelo bike with a special blue "Renaissance" jersey was created to avoid collisions.  

Vingegaard, after winning in 2022 and 2023, will target the 3rd consecutive Tour de France, but doubts remain over his form due to a 3・week intense grand tour race. Visma-Lease A Bike said in the official announcement of the tour team that Dane "will fully recover from the crash on the tour of the Basque country and fight to get a good result."  

Van Aalto was scheduled to ride the Giro d'Italia and then prepare for the Olympics on May 7, but his spring was derailed by a high・speed collision at the Doir d'a Vlaanderen. He said the team's main goal was "top class with Jonas" but that victory on the stage was also likely to be targeted. 

American Matteo Jorgenson and Sepp Kus are also part of the 8・seater Visma・Lease A Bike Tour de France line・up, along with Christophe Laporte, Thiezi Benut, Wilco Kelderman and Jan Tratnik.

"I'm excited to start the tour," said Vingegaard, who will race for the first time since his Itzulia Basque country crash at the Tour de France.  

"The last few months have not always been easy, but I am grateful for the unwavering support of my family and team Visma-Lease. We've worked together to get to this moment, and of course I'm very excited to see where I stand. I feel good and very motivated.

Visma-Lease a bike was the first to state that Vingegaard would ride the Tour de France only if it was "1%" when the race took place in Florence, Italy, on March 29. However, sports director Merijn Zeeman earlier this week suggested that Vingegaard needs to be "competitive" rather than "fighting for the yellow" to ensure a choice. 

In the official team announcement, Zeeman was even more wary of making predictions about what Vingegaard can achieve on the tour and whether he can challenge big rivals Tadej Pogağar (UAE Team Emirates), Primoş Rogliş (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step).

"I am very proud of Jonas and the coaching team. He is coming back from serious injuries. In the last few weeks, he has shown mentally and physically that he is a champion," Zeman said. 

"Of course, we still don't know how far he can go. He could not race, so we were cautious, and his preparation was not ideal to say the least. But he is there, healthy and motivated.

Van Aal won 9 stages at the Tour de France and won the Greenpoint Jersey in 2022. He was keen to return to the tour after missing the Giro.

"I'm really looking forward to the Tour de France. Of course, this was not the original plan, but after my development in the last few weeks, I really wanted it, and the team agreed," he explained.  

"Our main goal, of course, is to get to the top class with Jonas. I want to contribute to it with an excellent team.

Jorgenson took to social media to propose that Vingegaard could play a domestic role in supporting Americans after showing a solid stage race format at Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphine. If Vingegor faltered, Kus could also play a leadership role, but not 100% during the Dauphine.

"Matteo Giorgenson has already become 1 of the strongest riders in the team this year, winning in Paris Nice and Deir d'Or Vlaanderen and 2nd place in the Dauphine," Zeman elaborated on the qualities of the riders.  

"Sepp Kuss proved last year that he was a great mountaineer, an important livestock and his own leader who won the Vuelta a España.

"European champion Christophe Laporte has had an unfortunate spring due to injury and illness, but has returned to form in the last two months. He will be an important link in the team. 

"Tiezi Benut had an excellent spring, including winning the podium in the Amstel Gold Race, and carried that good feeling into the final training period. 

"Wilco Kelderman missed the Giro d'Italia with a broken collarbone, but now he will fit again and be an important rider on the mountain stage. Jan Tratnik has already won Omloop het Nieuwsblad this year. He is strong in the Giro and with his experience and qualities he will play an important role in the tour team."

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