Jonas Vingegaard, the Tour de France champion, was honored with the Velo d’Or trophy for being the best cyclist of the season. However, he did not attend the ceremony in Paris on Tuesday. Despite his absence, Vingegaard is expected to be present in the French capital on Wednesday for the announcement of the route for the 2024 Tour. This year marked the first time that the Velo d’Or award was presented at a formal ceremony since its establishment in 1992. Demi Vollering, the winner of the Tour de France Femmes, received the women’s Velo d’Or. Vingegaard’s teammate, Christophe Laporte, accepted the Bernard Hinault trophy on his behalf, as he was recognized as the best French rider of the season after winning the European champion title. Mathieu van der Poel, from the Netherlands, was awarded the Eddy Merckx for his achievements as the best one-day race rider, having won the world title and Paris-Roubaix, known as the ‘Queen of the classics.’ Lotte Kopecky, a Belgian cyclist, received the women’s Eddy Merckx award for her victories in the Tour of Flanders and the world champion titles. It is important to note that all the trophies are awarded by a panel of journalists.