Jorgenson back on bike days after surgery as Visma pins Liège hopes on Tulett

For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the timing is difficult. Jorgenson had been lined up as the central figure for the Ardennes Classics, with the team building much of its approach around his form after a promising Tirreno-Adriatico. His crash in Amstel Gold Race, after Kevin Vaucquelin went down in front of him, abruptly ended those plans.

The focus of the Dutch team now shifts to a reshaped lineup for Sunday’s Monument. Ben Tulett appears the most likely rider to carry ambitions into the final, having finished third at La Flèche Wallonne earlier in the week.

The British rider had been dealing with illness in the lead up, but his ride on the Mur de Huy suggested he has found his level at the right moment.

He admitted he was surprised by his own performance. “Yeah, actually, we were not sure if I would even start the race today, so this was a big surprise after my crash in Basque two weeks ago,” Tulett told CyclingProNet.

Tulett is joined by Steven Kruijswijk, Menno Huising, Tim Rex, Filippo Fiorelli, Pietro Mattio and Owain Doull.

That also means Jørgen Nordhagen will not line up, a notable absence. The 21-year-old Norwegian had been put forward by team management after the Amstel Gold Race as a potential replacement for Jorgenson.

“We still have strong riders,” sports director Maarten Wynants told Het Laatste Nieuws. “Nordhagen was set to ride and he has already shown good things, but it is different when you suddenly have to change everything.”

Last Wednesday he did line up in La Flèche Wallonne, where he finished 109th, more than five minutes behind winner Paul Seixas. The team has not communicated any reason for his absence.