"I would not immediately indicate him for the Flemish spring" - Is Matteo Jorgenson a contender for the monuments?
Cycling
Matteo Jorgenson successfully defended his Paris-Nice title
last week, stepping up for Team Visma | Lease a Bike at exactly the right
moment after Jonas Vingegaard was forced to abandon. Now, he turns his
attention to Milano-Sanremo, where he will go up against Tadej Pogacar and
Mathieu van der Poel in one of the most unpredictable races on the calendar.
Sporza commentators Jose De Cauwer and Renaat Schotte have
been assessing Jorgenson’s next steps, debating what direction his career might
take. While his performances in stage races continue to improve, his potential
in the Flemish classics remains uncertain.
"In principle, he will continue to work on that lap
work. It is a bit of a toss-up which direction he should go. Jorgenson himself
said that he is reasonably sharp. While it is better to gain a few kilos for
more resilience in the Flemish races. So I would not immediately indicate him
for the Flemish spring."
Jorgenson’s all-round abilities have made him an interesting
case study. He excels in hilly terrain, can time trial well, and has shown impressive
endurance, but whether he can truly challenge in the cobblestone-heavy Flemish
classics is still up for debate. His performance at Milano-Sanremo could give
more insight into where his strengths are best suited.
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De Cauwer also highlighted Magnus Sheffield as a rider to
watch, citing his past success in the Brabantse Pijl as an indication that he
could have more to offer in the coming weeks.
"You can add Magnus Sheffield. Not because he won the
final stage, but we have seen him win the Brabantse Pijl in the past. Maybe he
has now set off for more."
He also pointed to Filippo Ganna, who was superb in
Tirreno-Adriatico, as a key contender, especially looking ahead to the cobbled
classics.
"If you then continue that line to Flanders with a good
team, where he will be the leader. We know that Ganna can do that, but we have
not really seen that yet. But in a Paris-Roubaix and other races, he is a man
to look forward to."
De Cauwer then turned his attention to Mathieu van der
Poel’s performance at Tirreno-Adriatico, where he felt the Dutchman could have
won multiple stages.
"He could and perhaps should have won two stages,
especially the first one. There he first closes a gap and then gets boxed in in
the sprint. Okay, those are things that can happen. But I think Van der Poel
came out of Tirreno-Adriatico with a good feeling. He was able to put a final
layer on top of his condition."
This could be a warning sign for his rivals ahead of
Milano-Sanremo and the Flemish classics, as Van der Poel tends to peak at
exactly the right time.
Mads Pedersen was another rider De Cauwer believes could thrive
in the upcoming weeks, highlighting his consistency and ability to perform
across multiple races.
"We will definitely put Mads Pedersen among the
candidate winners for the Flemish spring. If you saw him here, up to and
including the Amstel Gold Race might be his territory."
He was less optimistic about Jonathan Milan’s chances at
Milano-Sanremo, suggesting that Pogacar will be determined to make the race too
hard for the pure sprinters.
"I think Pogacar absolutely wants to win there this
year. Then the race has to be made hard on the Cipressa and then it will be
difficult for Milan."
However, the unpredictability of racing means that sprinters
cannot be ruled out entirely, as history has shown with unexpected winners like
Biniam Girmay in Gent-Wevelgem.
"But of course you have races where other winners will
emerge. We never thought that Biniam Girmay would win Gent-Wevelgem. So it is
perfectly possible that a Merlier or a Milan wins it, but Philipsen also wants
to win it."
De Cauwer was also full of praise for Tim Merlier, calling
him one of the fastest sprinters in the world but unsure how far he can go in
the upcoming classics.
"Merlier is in good shape, already a whole spring. What
that will yield is also a question mark for him."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- I'm not trying to argue with you but if you didn't see Del Toro struggling in the Tour I'll pay for some glasses for you lol. He struggled so much that Tadej missed winning stage 15, Tadej also dropped the pace along some stages to help Del Toro hold onto the podium. Now he may have been sick, that is a possibility, but he definitely struggled. You have a nice weekend as well brother.awp13-11-2026
- Im not copmaring him to jonas palmares...but current level of power and again like you even pointed out 19sec difference and on other ocassions del toro dropping him. Its evidently their close and based on both their different trajectory its self explanatory...where we are next year.And Del Toro didnt struggle if getting a podium in his first TDF at 22 year old is struggling you sure dont know how to be objective haha. But have a good weekend this is so dumb to discuss as its not even a discussin in reality as facts speak for themselves of what were actually speaking of - and self explanatory.miguel13-11-2026
- fingers crossed. my son has a poster of wout and mathieu battling each other at the beach at ostend up in his room. would be great to see them again there!Ketterechts13-11-2026
- This Giro is very strange in it's circular route. If you were to have stage starting in Trieste and ending atop Monte Zoncolan (end stage 20) you'd get a stage only 145 km long
Rafionain-Glas13-11-2026 - When Thomas gets the bullet from INEOS he can get a job as a comedian.
Senna196013-11-2026 - Right on. The more the merrier.Occam13-11-2026
- Remember, Del Toro struggled in this Tour. He is great, no doubt about that, but comparing him to a four time gt winner is absurd at this point. He has the potential. We'll have to see how he develops.awp13-11-2026
- what did Jonas gift and to whom? just curious, haven’t heard about this.mij13-11-2026
- You don't gift grand tours as it has come to light that Jonas has come to regret doing such.
Front24213-11-2026 - Exactly you said it urslf - he outclimbed del toro by 19 sec. 19SEC and you say hes alot better than del toro still lol? And can also do the same where del toro did that to jonas even and del toro dauphine numbers better than jonas all year so why this hard whats the issue its super easy stuff - del toro wasnt that before. Then factor in both their trajectory the last years and the answer is self explonatory like i said. Nothing against jonas like many do but the typing is no the wall and so stupidly easy as its so self explanatory now. Have a good daymiguel13-11-2026
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