Matteo Jorgenson is heading into Sunday’s Tour of Flanders because the chief of Visma-Lease a Bike with the workforce’s unique plan utterly modified after Wout van Aert’s horrific crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen dominated him out of De Ronde.
The younger US rider instructed Cyclingnews earlier than the beginning of the mid-week Traditional that “you may’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 workforce’s press convention in Ghent that no plan B had been utterly formalised after their huge star was pressured to drag out of his greatest targets, however Jorgenson can be one of many closely modified Visma roster’s headline riders on Sunday.
“If you happen to noticed the quantity of man-hours that they put into making the unique plan, I believe you’d perceive that they nonetheless have not completed the brand new plan with the riders that we’ve now,” Jorgenson mentioned.
The Dutch workforce have gone from co-favourites with arguably the most effective workforce, to underdogs in opposition to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who is anticipated to take a historic third Tour of Flanders win and equal the document of Boonen, Cancellara and Museeuw.
“I nonetheless do not even know the ultimate plan however I believe we mainly must play off of Alpecin as a result of I believe 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 believe there’s one clear favorite and that is Mathieu van der Poel.”
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However Jorgenson assured he and Visma should not be underestimated for the race, particularly after he gained Dwars door Vlaanderen and got here fifth at E3 Saxo Traditional, along with his kind solely rising.
“I believe I am nonetheless in what I think about the most effective on the earth so you may by no means actually matter us out,” Jorgenson mentioned, understanding very properly that many issues can go incorrect throughout six hours and 270km of racing.
“I believe as a rider Van der Poel is unquestionably a notch above simply in theoretical phrases, however it’s a bike race and like we have seen previously races, plenty of issues can occur so I believe we nonetheless have probability and I’ve plenty 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 reasonable and I am going to should do my finest on Sunday. I do not suppose something magical goes to occur however I believe my legs this yr are one thing utterly new and I am nonetheless discovering my limits I believe,” Jorgenson mentioned.
“Truly, I have never actually discovered the place I blew up but so my feeling after Wednesday is a brand new stage 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 an alternative 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 believe Flanders fits him much more than Dwars door Vlaanderen. It is a good longer race, a tougher one,” Benoot mentioned.
“I would favor 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 Staff 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 modifications so much [without Pogačar], he is clearly the one man the place you may rely on him being there within the ultimate,” Jorgenson mentioned to Cyclingnews. “We now simply have to actually deal with Mathieu van der Poel.”
Jorgenson said that he believes Benoot must be with him if they’re to have the most effective 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 turn out to be considerably of a neighborhood knowledgeable forward of simply his second look at De Ronde.
“I believe already I wasn’t a nasty rider and ninth at Flanders [in 2023] I am additionally very pleased with that outcome,” Jorgenson mentioned. “However I’ve undoubtedly come a great distance in plenty of totally different regards since then.
“One among them is simply my information of the realm round right here and I actually discovered via the workforce right here in November doing recons for Flanders and Roubaix. I really feel like I understand how to seek out my approach 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 turn out to be the first-ever American man to win the Tour of Flanders if he arrived on the line first in Oudenaarde.
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