“I have what it takes to compete with the very best in the world” – Visma’s Jorgen Nordhagen confirms breakthrough with fourth overall in Romandie
Cycling
Jorgen Nordhagen did not arrive at the final stage of the Tour de Romandie looking to defend fourth place. With seven seconds separating him from Lenny Martinez, the equation was simple. Take time on the climb to Leysin or accept finishing just off the podium. He chose to race it.
As the pace lifted on the final ascent, Tadej Pogacar and Florian Lipowitz moved clear to settle the stage win. Behind them, the race for third began to take shape. Nordhagen did not wait for others to act. He accelerated and forced Martinez to respond in the closing kilometres.
“I did everything I could to put Martinez under pressure in the final kilometres, but it proved impossible,” he said afterwards in a Team Visma | Lease a Bike press release. “He was incredibly strong in the finale.”
That exchange decided the final step on the podium. Nordhagen asked the question. Martinez had the answer.
A climb that didn’t quite fit
The final ascent to Leysin was not a steady test. The rhythm shifted repeatedly, with changes in pace and steep gradients shaping the outcome. “The final climb was very irregular. At times the pace was high, while at other moments it dropped off. I perform better in long, steady efforts.”
That difference became decisive in the final metres. “The final metres were very steep, and that’s where I just came up short to make a difference.”
There was no collapse, no dramatic loss of ground. Just a clear limit against a rider who could hold it a fraction longer.
A week that changes the picture
Across five days in Switzerland, Nordhagen placed himself consistently among the riders who defined the race. He did not drift through the week. He held position, responded to moves, and stepped into the responsibility of leading Team Visma | Lease a Bike in a field built around established general classification names.
On the final day, the 21-year-old finished fifth on the stage and secured fourth overall. The result leaves him just outside the podium, but it also marks a clear step forward in his progression at this level. “The past week has given me a lot of confidence for the future. This race has shown that I have what it takes to compete with the very best in the world.”
That is the takeaway from Romandie. Not projection or expectation, but confirmation delivered on the road.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- What kind of sauce is on that rice? Ketchup?Kbd05-11-2026
- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- Rota is an excellent rider to get in a break with because he always does his turnchapmanesque04-11-2026
- That 3000 extra that the Tour de France is built up in the flat stages
Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment