"I tried to follow Pogacar on the climb and kind of ruined my legs" - Matteo Jorgensen on desperate attempt to follow the Slovenian in Montreal

Matteo Jorgenson's 12th place at the GP Montreal won't turn many heads, but for the American climber who hasn't competed since the Olympic Games in Paris, it's a step in the right direction towards the World Championships. The Visma | Lease a Bike attempted to hang onto the wheel of Tadej Pogacar when he took off on the penultimate lap, but ultimately learnt that it was not possible to go with the Slovenian.

"I tried to follow Pogacar two laps to go on the climb and kind of ruined my legs at that moment," said Jorgenson to Cyclingnews as he described the final few laps. "But for me, it's worth it to try because that's the way to win - follow him. So I was trying to win the race and didn't have the legs after that."

Despite good numbers in the chasing group, Visma was unable to get further than 7th with Tiesj Benoot as the other teams weren't willing to let anyone in yellow-black go clear. "We were trying to get on the podium but we were quite marked out," said Jorgenson at the line after drenching himself with water after the brutal one-day race. "People were just following us and that makes sense but that's how it goes."

Despite only finishing 12th in Montréal and 35th in Friday's GP Québec, Jorgenson highlighted how he is on the right trajectory ahead of the World Championships that will take place next Sunday in Zurich. "For sure, I think it was a good stimulus and good [way] to get back racing," concluded the 25-year-old.