Matteo Jorgenson changes Tour de France plan

The 26-year-old American had been expected to line up at the Tour de Suisse as part of his preparation for the Tour de France. Instead, after completing his rehabilitation from the collarbone fracture he sustained at the Amstel Gold Race, Jorgenson will restart his season on French roads.

His spring campaign had already followed a different path from previous years. Jorgenson skipped the Flemish Classics to focus on the Ardennes, a decision that looked sensible until the Amstel Gold Race brought a sudden setback. In the lead group, Kévin Vauquelin crashed in a corner, leaving Jorgenson with no way to avoid him. He went down hard, a fall that ultimately ended his spring.

The timing was far from ideal. Jorgenson is expected to play a key role for Visma | Lease a Bike in July, when Jonas Vingegaard leads the team’s general classification challenge in another Tour de France duel with Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian will be chasing a fifth overall victory, while Vingegaard is aiming for his third.

Last year, the American endured a difficult Tour de France as he battled bronchitis during the second week of the race. Despite that setback, he still managed to finish and placed 19th overall.

Following an altitude camp in the Sierra Nevada, Visma has decided to bring Jorgenson back into competition at the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes. The race offers a useful test ahead of the Tour de France, especially as this year’s route includes a team time trial, the same discipline that will open the Tour, with the added twist that individual times will count there as well.

Jorgenson will not be the only Visma rider using the French stage race as a final stepping stone toward July. Wout van Aert is also set to start in what will be his first road race since winning Paris-Roubaix. 

The race is familiar territory for Jorgenson. Two years ago, he finished second overall, just a handful of seconds behind Primož Roglič. Last year, in an edition won by Tadej Pogačar ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, he placed sixth. Before his crash at the Amstel Gold Race, Jorgenson had also delivered a strong performance at Tirreno Adriatico, where only Giulio Pellizzari finished ahead of him.

After the race, the squad will head to Tignes, as it does every year, for its final training camp. This is also when team leader Jonas Vingegaard is expected to join up with the group.

At the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) is regarded as the main favourite, although Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) are also set to line up. If Jorgenson is in form, he should not be ruled out either.