Matteo Jorgenson explains choice for Dauphiné over Tour de Suisse

Speaking to CyclingPro.net ahead of the opening stage of the Dauphiné, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider reflected on a frustrating period following his crash at Amstel Gold Race, where he suffered a broken collarbone, which he described as the biggest injury of his career so far.

“It was frustrating. It was disappointing,” Jorgenson said. “I think that was the biggest injury that I’ve had. I was recovering from some disappointment in losing those opportunities to race and the form that I had.”

The 26-year-old American underwent surgery after the crash and was forced into a short spell away from training. The interruption came at an especially unfortunate moment, as Jorgenson had already made a strong impression with second place at Tirreno-Adriatico and had skipped the Flemish Classics to focus on the Ardennes Classics, but he said the recovery process has gone smoothly.

“As far as the surgery, it went well,” he explained. “I had two weeks off the bike, basically two weeks with no training. Since then I’ve been training quite well.”

Jorgenson spent the final part of his build up at altitude in Sierra Nevada alongside several teammates, a camp he believes has put him back on track for the summer.

“I was in Sierra Nevada with a few of my teammates and I think I’m ready for the summer,” he said.

Jorgenson lines up as one of Visma's leaders at the Dauphiné alongside Wout van Aert, giving the team two clear options as they begin their final build toward the Tour de France.

Asked whether the Dauphiné is already a target in itself or mainly preparation for the Tour de France, Jorgenson admitted there is still some uncertainty around how his body will respond after the injury.

“I actually just don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never broken a bone, so I don’t know what the recovery is like for me and how much it affected me. But I think I’m in good shape.”

Despite that unknown, Jorgenson made clear that Visma have not arrived in France simply to ride themselves into form.

“Definitely on this team we go to races to win,” he said. “I think we’re here to win.”

Jorgenson had initially been expected to ride the Tour de Suisse, but the change in his spring programme altered the logic of his preparation. With the Ardennes campaign cut short, the Dauphiné allowed him to follow a more standard build up through altitude training in Sierra Nevada, racing in France, and then another block at altitude in Tignes.

“I like this race,” he said, joking first in French, “J’adore la France.”

“I thought it would be a better idea to follow the standard preparation we have with Sierra. Originally, with the Ardennes, I was going to take a break and be later to Sierra. But now it was easier to do it the normal way. Then I can go to Tignes after this for a few more weeks of altitude, so I think it’s good to have the preparation that I know well.”

Sierra Nevada has become one of the key pre Tour altitude destinations in recent weeks, with Jorgenson confirming that it felt like almost the entire peloton had gathered there.

“Everyone,” he said when asked how many riders he had seen from rival teams. “I think every team except two were there, so I saw just about everyone.”

The exchange ended with a smile, as Jorgenson was put on the spot to pronounce the new name of the French race in the region. His attempt at “Le Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes” drew an approving “10 out of 10” before he rolled away.