Matteo Jorgenson is heading into Sunday’s Tour of Flanders because the chief of Visma-Lease a Bike with the staff’s unique plan fully modified after Wout van Aert’s horrific crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen dominated him out of De Ronde.
The younger US rider informed Cyclingnews earlier than the beginning of the mid-week Traditional that “you possibly can’t management each single variable” however he would not have predicted that 4 hours later he could be crossing the road victorious as Van Aert sat in hospital with a damaged collarbone, ribs and sternum.
He even revealed on the staff’s press convention in Ghent that no plan B had been fully formalised after their large star was compelled to drag out of his largest targets, however Jorgenson shall be one of many closely modified Visma roster’s headline riders on Sunday.
“In case you noticed the quantity of man-hours that they put into making the unique plan, I feel you’d perceive that they nonetheless have not completed the brand new plan with the riders that now we have now,” Jorgenson mentioned.
The Dutch staff have gone from co-favourites with arguably the perfect staff, to underdogs in opposition to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who is predicted to take a historic third Tour of Flanders win and equal the file of Boonen, Cancellara and Museeuw.
“I nonetheless do not even know the ultimate plan however I feel we mainly should play off of Alpecin as a result of I feel they’ve full strain on them to take the race into their fingers and we’ll simply should search for our second,” he mentioned.
“I feel there’s one clear favorite and that is Mathieu van der Poel.”
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, critiques and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
However Jorgenson assured he and Visma should not be underestimated for the race, particularly after he received Dwars door Vlaanderen and got here fifth at E3 Saxo Traditional, together with his kind solely rising.
“I feel I am nonetheless in what I take into account the perfect on the planet so you possibly can by no means actually matter us out,” Jorgenson mentioned, realizing very properly that many issues can go incorrect throughout six hours and 270km of racing.
“I feel as a rider Van der Poel is certainly a notch above simply in theoretical phrases, however it’s a bike race and like we have seen previously races, loads of issues can occur so I feel we nonetheless have probability and I’ve loads of confidence.”
Jorgenson did admit that he nonetheless is not even positive simply how far he can go after reaching new heights in 2024 with the Paris-Good general victory earlier this month and emphatically profitable Dwars door Vlaanderen simply two days in the past.
“I’ve to stay sensible and I am going to should do my greatest on Sunday. I do not assume something magical goes to occur however I feel my legs this yr are one thing fully new and I am nonetheless discovering my limits I feel,” Jorgenson mentioned.
“Truly, I have not actually discovered the place I blew up but so my feeling after Wednesday is a brand new degree of confidence in these races.”
Jorgenson performed his techniques completely after Van Aert crashed out of the Classics and responded to post-pace criticism that he wasn’t “going to throw within the towel”. He as a substitute mixed with Tiesj Benoot to work over their fellow escapees and take a superb, however bittersweet, victory.
Benoot additionally spoke on the press convention at KAA Gent’s stadium, with excessive reward for his North American teammate.
“To be trustworthy I feel Flanders fits him much more than Dwars door Vlaanderen. It is a fair longer race, a tougher one,” Benoot mentioned.
“I would like a tough race personally talking,” Jorgenson agreed. “I normally do higher when the races are tougher efforts from begin to end however we’ll see what it is like.”
Benoot went on to clarify how the additional two hours of racing and extra elevation metres solely performed into the fingers of Jorgenson because it had for different climbers previously like final yr’s Flanders winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates).
Pogačar’s absence additionally modified issues for Jorgenson who even earlier than Wednesday had just one key competitor on his thoughts for the Tour of Flanders.
“It adjustments loads [without Pogačar], he is clearly the one man the place you possibly can rely on him being there within the closing,” Jorgenson mentioned to Cyclingnews. “We now simply have to actually deal with Mathieu van der Poel.”
Jorgenson acknowledged that he believes Benoot must be with him if they’re to have the perfect probability of defeating Van der Poel and Lidl-Trek, with the Belgian providing him invaluable route data as they completely performed the ultimate of Dwars door Vlaanderen.
However the 24-year-old from Boise, Idaho has develop into considerably of a neighborhood skilled forward of simply his second look at De Ronde.
“I feel already I wasn’t a nasty rider and ninth at Flanders [in 2023] I am additionally very happy with that end result,” Jorgenson mentioned. “However I’ve undoubtedly come a good distance in loads of totally different regards since then.
“One among them is simply my data of the realm round right here and I actually realized by way of the staff right here in November doing recons for Flanders and Roubaix. I really feel like I understand how to search out my means round and the way the races play out.”
Jorgenson will co-lead Visma-Lease a Bike alongside Benoot and Dylan van Baarle, with Tim and Mick van Dijke, Edoardo Affini and Per Strand Hagenes additionally taking the beginning in Antwerp. He would develop into the first-ever American man to win the Tour of Flanders if he arrived on the line first in Oudenaarde.
Get limitless entry to all of our protection of the Spring Classics- together with reporting, breaking information and evaluation from the Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and extra. Discover out extra.
