Matteo Jorgenson ready to enjoy Vuelta without Pogacar

With Tadej Pogačar skipping the final Grand Tour of the season, the dynamics shift. Jonas Vingegaard remains Visma | Lease a Bike’s undisputed leader, but Jorgenson enters as both mountain lieutenant and Visma's potential wildcard. 

When asked about Pogačar’s absence, Jorgenson admitted with a smile: “Um, is it a relief... Yes, actually, yes. The race will be very different without him, because every rider will ride differently now that he’s not there. When Pogačar is in the race, he forces others to ride differently, whether you’re going for stage wins or the GC. I’m looking forward to it.”

Jorgenson’s transformation has been swift since joining Visma in 2024. “Since joining Visma, I’ve been allowed to reinvent myself as a backup leader,” he explained in comments collected by In de Leiderstrui. That reinvention has delivered results: Paris-Nice and Dwars Door Vlaanderen victories in his debut season, eighth at the 2024 Tour de France, and another Paris-Nice triumph this spring. 

The team underlined their faith with a contract extension through 2029, a sign of their belief in his potential.

His Movistar years were different. “During my years with Movistar, I rode the Giro d’Italia once and the Tour twice, but always as an attacker,” he recalled. At Visma the scope is broader: supporting Vingegaard while also developing as a GC rider in his own right.

This Vuelta will be his first time doubling up after the Tour. “The preparation for the Tour de France is very intense, with several months of training. For the Vuelta, it’s very different. I’ve relied on my Tour preparation being sufficient. I’ve mainly made sure that my brain and spirit are back at the level I want them to be,” Jorgenson said.

His post-Tour approach was deliberately measured. “I took a few days off and started training again. I did a few three-day blocks and that was it.” By avoiding overtraining, he hopes to stay sharp while giving his body space to recover. 

He and Vingegaard share the same coach, but the preparation is not identical. “Jonas and I do have the same coach, and we will have had a fairly similar preparation, the same block after the Tour de France. We almost always do the same training, except he pedals harder, haha!”

Jorgenson knows his role could evolve as the race unfolds. He may ride purely in service of Vingegaard, chase breakaways for stage wins, or test himself for the general classification. 

“I really have to see how it goes, I have no idea how my body will react. Racing for the GC is one of my goals these days, and the team knows that and supports me in that. So this Vuelta could be a good opportunity, but we’ll have to see how good I am and how the race unfolds,” he said.

That sense of openness underpins his attitude to the race. “That’s why I was very interested in riding the Vuelta, because I knew it would be easier than if I had taken a break and had to work my way back up again for smaller races,” he added.

Ultimately, for Jorgenson the absence of Pogačar is not just a relief but a chance. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s not often I get the chance to race without him. I’m going to enjoy it.”