2024 was a breakthrough season for Matteo Jorgenson, with the 25-year-old American winning Paris-Nice, Dwars door Vlaanderen and building the consistency needed to dream big about targeting Grand Tours in the years ahead.
Jorgenson moved from Movistar to Visma-Lease a Bike for 2024 and his results and performance immediately took a leap forward with the Dutch team.
"This year was a dream in so many ways", Jorgenson said in an interview published by Visma-Lease a Bike. "I pushed boundaries I didn’t know were possible, thanks to the team’s efforts and my commitment to sticking to the plan as closely as possible.
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"This year, I realized my body can perform at a high level for three weeks. That was something I wasn’t sure about in the past."
Jorgenson is known for his dedication and determination. He hustled for a place in a European development team as a teenager and then invested much of his Movistar salary to pay for altitude camps and personal marginal gains.
He got extra support at Visma-Lease a Bike and accepted to work on his bike set-up and position with the team's biomechanic.
"It was like I had to forget my muscle memory or break that pattern, and it’s made a world of difference," he said.
Off the bike, he has also grown significantly.
"I’ve gotten to know myself better. I now understand what I need to be successful."
Jorgenson is both a Classics rider and stage racer and immediately fitted in at Visma-Lease a Bike. He won Paris-Nice after a tactically astute race and a fight with Remco Evenepeol, then stepped up when team leader Wout Van Aert crashed out at speed at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
"The highlight of the year was undoubtedly crossing the finish line in Nice. I rode past my apartment and realized I had won Paris-Nice. It was a completely unexpected victory and a feeling I might never surpass. Just thinking about it still brings a smile to my face," Jorgenson said.
The Idaho native confirmed his stage race talents with second overall at the Critérium du Dauphiné and then played a dedicated support role for Vingegaard at the Tour de France, while discovering his own consistency in Grand Tours and finishing eighth overall, the best performance by an American in a decade.
"On the Plateau de Beille, we realized as a team that we had given everything to try and win the Tour again, but it just wasn’t enough," Jorgenson accepted.
Defeat for Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike hurt but the Tour was a journey of discovery for Jorgenson. The team won all three Grand Tours in 2023 but was hit by crashes, illness and the loss of Primož Roglič to rivals Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Jorgenson will probably again play a support role for Vingegaard in July but has future personal ambitions in Grand Tours and is not afraid to say them.
"One day, I hope to compete for the general classification in a Grand Tour," he said.
"I say that because I’ve somewhat changed my perspective this year. During the Tour, I didn’t have a single bad day. Of course, there were tougher moments, but I never cracked. Especially in the third week, I felt very comfortable.
"So, one day, I want to go for it. When that moment will come, I don’t know. I’m not in a hurry. For now, I can’t wait to start 2025. We have work to do."
