American rider Matteo Jorgenson is in his first year with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but he’s wasted no time making his presence known: following a stunning Overall General Classification win and Best Young Rider at Paris-Nice at the beginning of the month, Jorgenson just became the first American man to win one-day semi-classic Dwars door Vlaanderen. “It’s unbelievable, it really is. This whole season has been a dream so far. It’s surreal,” Jorgenson said after the victory.
The rider from Boise, Idaho had already demonstrated an intense dedication to training, even funding his own altitude camps while on previous team Movistar, and it’s clear that stepping up to the Visma | Lease a Bike organization is providing a platform for Jorgenson to truly begin exploring his potential. The team is renowned for its attention to every detail and meticulous preparation, from equipment to nutrition to cutting-edge training protocols like altitude camps. (Which Jorgenson no longer has to pay for himself.)
As the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix occupy center stage, the Visma | Lease a Bike plan was to rally behind star rider Wout Van Aert. But the cruel chaos of northern racing saw Van Aert crash heavily in Dwars door Vlaanderen, breaking his collarbone and ending his quest for a cobbled Classic. As Jorgenson’s spectacular early-season form combines with the new-found confidence of riding for a stellar team, the young American finds himself in position to ride for his own victory at two of the biggest races in cycling.
