ISI Idrætsefterskole easily recognizes its old pupil, but at the same time, things have changed for the Danish Tour winner.

At Jonas Vingegaard's old secondary school, ISI Idrætsefterskole, the slogan is 'living the dream'. You have to say what it does. The quiet lad from Gillerslev has just had the biggest triumph in the world of cycling and has gone directly into Danish sports history.

Indeed, this is almost the same Jonas that Mikael Larsen took as 'family teacher' in high school ten years ago.

- I know him well, but of course, that was ten years ago. The picture fits very well with what you see on TV today. According to him, he was modest, quiet and calm.

If you get the impression of the Danish climber as a quiet and reserved character, it's not entirely indifferent. But ambition and determination were always there, says Mikael Larsen.

- He didn't draw any attention to himself in secondary school either, but I'm pretty sure he had a dream to ride the Tour de France back then. He just didn't shout about it. You can read about the excitement of the decisive stages of the Tour de France here: https://www.cyclingworld.dk/tour-de-france-spaendingen-paa-de-afgoerende-etaper/.

In the beginning, Vingegaard struggled

But striving to ride the highest peaks was not necessarily what was right for a Dane with his small stature. Denmark is not a country known for riders with excellent climbing skills, and in a country without high mountains being smaller than its competitors is not an advantage.

- What clearly caught the eye was his physique. He was a little behind on that front. He was small in stature and relatively weak, says Mikael Larsen.

- It was hard for him at the time. It was hard for him to keep up, and some of the defeats he faced affected him. Then he struggled with motivation.

- We help challenge and develop ambition, but I couldn't have thought he would get here. It was about other things altogether. It was about a man, Jonas, who had to rediscover the joy of cycling, says Vingegard's "family teacher" at ISI.

"It's crazy to watch"

In secondary school, however, Jonas Vingegaard gradually found motivation, and once he had to ride uphill, he quickly found himself one of the strongest. And the rest is history. A story that has so far ended with him winning the biggest cycling race in the world. The career took off into the stratosphere faster than most imagined.

"It makes me incredibly happy and makes me proud," says the current head of the extra-curricular school, Mikael Larsen.

- It has been crazy to see the whole JumboVisma team helping Jonas on his journey. To me, he is still a little boy, but with a confidence and radiance that reeks of professionalism in its own way.

What hasn't changed, and what also shone through when a tired Jonas Vingegaard spoke to the press after the race, is that he is looking forward to returning home to his residence in Glinger and taking a break from the spotlight.

"What he is most looking forward to is the fact that the whole virus is gone and he can go to the den until next year," says Vingegaard's old teacher.

If Jonas Vingegaard goes to bed after a well-deserved celebration both in Copenhagen and at home in Glingora, he should wake up in time to defend his jersey when the Tour de France 2023 starts in Bilbao, Spain next July 1.

Read also, about Danish boxer Kem Ljungqvist's unconventional journey.