Matteo Jorgenson set his sights on a top five but came away from the Tour of Flanders more than satisfied with a top 10. After 274km of racing over the unfamiliar and unforgiving terrain of the Flemish Ardennes, he had emptied the tank - got it all out, as they say.
"I swear to you, if the Paterberg was 10 metres long, I would not have been there," Jorgenson said at the finish in Oudendaarde.
"To be honest, I had literally nothing left. Anytime I passed threshold I'd feel my legs full up with lactate. So I'm happy with ninth."
Jorgenson, who won the Tour of Oman in February and placed eighth overall at Paris-Nice in March, made a storming debut in the Cobbled Classics with fourth at last Friday's E3 Saxo Classic, a perennial marker for Flanders. It proved to be no fluke, with the Idaho native racing positively, aggressively, and mixing with the top one-day races in the world.
E3 was one thing, but nothing could have prepared him for the chaos of the opening phase of this Monument Classic, which was marked by splits, crashes, and a relentless pace that prevented a breakaway from forming for more than 100km.
"It was really on from start to finish. There were literally five minute of chill time then just pure chaos. I was involved in the mass pile-up [caused by Filip Maciejuk after 120km], had to wait and change bikes then get Brough back to the bunch. Then it was just a lot of suffering."
Jorgenson got back in but missed the boat when a crucial move - containing several second-tier contenders - went on Molenberg with just over 100km to go. No bother, he surged across to it in the Berendries a few kilometres later.
"On the Molenberg I was too far back going in, I missed the selection, which was a mistake - I just didn't have anyone there to position me, so got swarmed," Jorgenson explained.
"I knew I needed to make it to that group because every team was represented but us, so I went on the Berendries. I just went full gas bottom to top. I made it across but this cost me everything. It was probably two minutes completely all-out. From then on, on every cobbled climb I felt this effort."
The dangerous group, which also contained Jorgenson's compatriot Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) gained some three minutes on the bunch, but that quickly receded once eventual winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) went on the rampage in the final 50km.
The Slovenian shot to a solo victory over the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, with Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) following alone, while Jorgenson hung in to form part of the seven-man group hunting for the final podium spot on the run-in to Oudenaarde.
"In the sprint, no [nothing was possible]. I'd have had to get ahead. I knew I had to do something but it was headwind and I had nothing in the legs so in the end I'm happy with ninth.
"Neilson was super strong," he added. "In the final he was playing around with us and I was making him pull through - I would take him off the back a bit so he couldn't skip pulls - but in the end he has a way better sprint."
Sunday's result and performance only confirmed Jorgenson's potential for the cobbled Classics, adding a new dimension for a Movistar team who have traditionally neglected these races, not to mention for himself.
The 23-year-old, who came through the Hot Tubes Development Team in the US, has showcased his all-round abilities in the ever-improving early years of his career. With some eye-catching results in week-long stage races leading to his breakthrough as a GC rider in Oman, Jorgenson only added another layer to his potential on Sunday.
"I love these races," he stated passionately. "They really make you a better bike racer. They take a lot of character to make it through them. I'd love to come back."
