"At Paris-Nice, I want to take the next step as a GC rider" - Matteo Jorgenson an ambitious Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader

The 2024 road season is heading into one of the most exciting spells on the calendar with renowned races taking place all over Europe. One of these is Paris-Nice and for Team Visma | :Lease a Bike, hopes rest on the shoulders of Matteo Jorgenson.

"At Paris-Nice, I want to take the next step as a GC rider”, the ambitious American says in a preview on the official Team Visma | Lease a Bike website. "I have twice finished eighth in the final standings here. I hope to do better this year. I am secretly aiming for a top-five finish, but that does not mean I will be dissatisfied with a top-ten result. A stage win is also high on the wish list."

"Matteo fits in well with the culture of our team. He is a pretty quiet guy. He is very driven and focused and knows exactly what it takes to get the best out of himself. He's a pleasure to work with. The opening weekend proved that,” adds sports director Marc Reef. "He is a versatile rider. In the first two stages, we will look for sprint success with Olav Kooij. The third day will be a team time trial. We have good memories of that. We hope to give Matteo and others a good starting position on that day because stage four is the first GC stage. We want to fight for victory in this edition of Paris-Nice."

Only just beginning his Team Visma | Lease a Bike career after moving from Movistar Team, Jorgenson is settling in well. "I can say everything is going as well as I could have imagined. The training camp in Tenerife was really nice and I feel like I fit in with this team 100%. It’s what I was looking for, an environment where I can reach my highest level and enjoy doing it," he says. "My first two races truly exceeded my expectations. I have never been part of such a strong team that was capable of executing a plan so thoroughly. The races went how we decided them. To say I enjoyed the weekend would be and understatement."

Matteo Jorgenson, Olav Kooij, Wilco Kelderman, Edoardo Affini, Koen Bouwman, Mick van Dijke & Tim van Dijke.