🇺🇸Matteo Jorgenson talks about his potential Tour de France GC ambitions and we get a look at his path to becoming a pro cyclist. #TDF2024 📺: Peacock
Can Matteo Jorgenson win the 2024 Tour de France? We tell you why the answer is yes
CyclingFriday, 28 June 2024 at 23:30
Under normal conditions we would not say that Matteo Jorgenson is one of the favourites to win the 2024 Tour de France. But this year's edition of the race has not been arrived at under normal conditions with, in theory at least, all the big favourites in less than optimal conditions.
Having already won Paris-Nice earlier this year, and finished as runner-up at the Criterium du Dauphine by just a handful of seconds, despite a thrilling assault on the final climb of the final stage that left the Maillot Jaune of Primoz Roglic scrambling, Jorgenson is arguably the best placed rider to capitalise on any weaknesses of the 'Big 4'.
JONAS VINGEGAARD.
On the one hand we have Jonas Vingegaard, the winner of the last two editions of the Tour de France and clear favourite in normal conditions. This time around however, the Dane lands for the Grand Depart in Florence with his shape a complete mystery after not competing since he suffered a hard fall in the Itzulia Basque Country earlier this year, that left the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader with a broken collarbone and several rib fractures, plus a punctured lung that left him in intensive care.
Vingegaard looked in good spirits at the Team Presentation on Thursday
The Dane crashed on April 4 and didn't return to road training until May 7. Whilst we do know that he has been able to train at altitude throughout June, you would assume his level is not going to be anywhere near the incredible level he has already shown in the 3 Tours de France he has raced to date.
There is no doubt that Vingegaard is going to at least start as the leader of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but there is also no doubt that Jorgenson is going to be there in case his leader doesn't make it to the overall.
TADEJ POGACAR.
No, Jorgenson is not currently at the level to compete against a Tadej Pogacar at his peak. The thing in the favour of Californian however, is that Pogacar may not be at his very best level.
There are two reasons why the Slovenian may not be on top form in coming weeks: because he rode the Giro d'Italia and because he suffered Covid just 10 days before the Tour. So, as with Vingegaard, we don't know Pogacar's real physical condition. He may arrive looking as special as ever after the Giro and blow up the race in the very hard first week. Or he may have been affected by the coronavirus and is not well. In any case, it is clear that Jorgenson's chances of victory depend on the two big favourites not being at their best level, something that, as we have explained, cannot be ruled out.
Pogacar admitted on Thursday he recently tested positive for Covid
PRIMOZ ROGLIC, REMCO EVENEPOEL AND COMPANY.
The main reason that Matteo Jorgenson can win the Tour de France is because, among other things, people inside Team Visma | Lease a Bike believe he can. Not for nothing did they comment a few days ago that he is, along with Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel the best cyclist of 2024. So, if Pogacar and Vingegaard are not on top form, how can the best rider not be in contention to win the Tour de France?
Already this year, Jorgenson has faced the other two pre-race favourites to win the 2024 Tour de France, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel, and he has been able to beat them both. He was far superior to the Belgian in the high mountains and has shown a similar level to the Slovenian: in fact, he beat him in Paris-Nice and narrowly lost in Dauphiné, despite showing stronger legs at the end.
Bottom line: NO, Matteo Jorgenson is not a favourite to win the 2024 Tour de France. But YES, he can win it;
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- What a great ride that day, and what a great young rider. I am really looking forward to what he'll do next, and his attitude about racing is great. Let's hope he keeps that.RidesHills08-11-2024
- everyone should TRY to remember that just a year ago it was pascal the couldn’t remotely hang with vingegaard at the tour. the explanation for that was that pog had injured his wrist and that had interfered with his preparation. compare what a damaged wrist would do to your prep vs. what happened to vingegaard. i think a 100% healthy pogacar vs. a 100% healthy vingegaard at the tour is just about even money. hopefully that’s what we’ll get.OCexile08-11-2024
- i still believe that a thoroughly healthy jonas is at least a match for pogačar. i think some of tadej’s new aura of crushing invincibility comes from a year when everything lined up for him just right. to be clear, i’m NOT saying he’s not the most gifted rider on the planet! he IS! but… liége is made for him; there was NOBODY at the giro to challenge; jonas, for all his spirit, was broken and a shell of his true self at the tour. the Worlds course was a perfect fit for this year for pog, where slimmed down but still MUCH bigger van der poel still kept the gap under a minute in a course that REALLY didn’t suit HIM. my point is that i actually don’t think tadej suddenly launched himself to a level of ability far, far above where he’d been before. he’s a great rider that had an historically great year, but i don’t believe he’s become something NEW, and UNBEATABLE. if he’s fully healthy, i really expect jonas to be as much of a handful for pog as pog is for him.OCexile08-11-2024
- seriously, ESPECIALLY when paired with each other. when they put bob with phil, it’s like bob KNOWS he needs to tighten everything up because phil (god bless him) is losing his marbles. bob is actually pretty GOOD when he’s on phil duty. and when they took vande velde OUT of the booth with bob an put him on the back of a motorcycle, he was suddenly smart and edgy again. put those two guys TOGETHER though, and bob suddenly becomes the dumbest, sloppiest, most ill-informed pogacar and van aert fanboy on the planet, unleashing a constant stream of dim-witted, chuckling hyperbole, and christian is his enabling toady. yuk. after GCN folded i had to listen to wayyyy to much of their “dumb and dumber” show. they must be separated forever.OCexile08-11-2024
- Good news. Cycling world at least doesn't have rampant racism. But, I think it is partly because it is hard to dislike Biniam. He seems like a jolly good person even though he's a sprinter. Some sprinters are very aggressive/cocky.
KerisVroom08-11-2024 - Good news. Cycling world at least doesn't have rampant racism. But, I think it is partly because it is hard to dislike Biniam. He seems like a jolly good person even though he's a sprinter. Some sprinters are very aggressive/cocky.KerisVroom08-11-2024
- It will be a great race until the stage where it's not. Jonas can only hope for injury or illness to Pogacar. And Remco? There's no training, food, or technology that going to grant him 9 extra minutes in this race.Sweep08-11-2024
- It looks like someone is having a hard time understanding the concept of cause and effect. Perhaps Eli can enlighten us as to what the lowest and worst thing is that can happen IN a race, by a competitor.
santiagobenites08-11-2024 - What!! 5 million for a martinez and a Remco and Vingegaard as well. Something is seriously wrong. Should be 5 mil in 3 years probably.abstractengineer08-11-2024
- Remco could definitely lose a couple kilograms. That would help him a lot if he can keep his sustained power which is likely at his age. Above all else though, he needs support. He would have definitely been second if he had Jonas' supportVeganpotter08-11-2024