"At the Tour de France, sometimes he couldn't even get into the leading group" - Matteo Jorgenson doesn't see Mathieu van der Poel as favourite for Olympic Gold

This Saturday, August 3rd, the men's peloton will take to the roads of Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games in the battle for gold in the men's elite road race. Heading into the race, one of those considered the main favourites is world champion Mathieu van der Poel.

Van der Poel will hold the hopes of the Dutch, but according to American hopeful Matteo Jorgenson, the world champion isn't the man to watch, especially after a somewhat lacklustre Tour de France by the Alpecin-Deceuninck superstar earlier this summer.

"I was surprised last year in Glasgow after I saw him riding in the Tour de France. And also how I saw him this year. It's not like he was training. Sometimes he couldn't even get into the leading group," the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star says of Van der Poel in conversation with the CyclingMole podcast. "That day that Campenaerts won, he just didn't make it. I don't know, I can't predict it, but it's impressive to be able to improve so much in such a short time."

Instead, rather than Van der Poel, Jorgenson sees the Belgian team as the biggest obstacle he must overcome to claim Olympic gold. "With the team they have, they can gamble. I think a soloist will win. In his position, he has the luxury of being able to attack without hesitation, because he has teammates behind him. That's how I see it," Jorgenson assesses of the team that include the star duo of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert. "Belgium is the strongest team. Stuyven was also so strong under the radar at the end of the Tour de France and I have inside information that he did two more training sessions behind a motorbike in Monaco. He is also a card to play with. It is almost like if they don't win it is embarrassing."