“I’ve been riding with a different self-confidence" - Matteo Jorgenson reflects on breakthrough 2024 season at Visma

Matteo Jorgenson had been viewed by those in the know as a rider packed with potential for some time now. Whilst at Movistar Team, glimpses of the American's immense talent were somewhat fleeting, in his debut campaign at Team Visma | Lease a Bike in 2024, Jorgenson has gone from strength to strength.

The biggest moment of the 25-year-old's season and arguably his career to date, came in March of this year as he took overall victory ahead of Remco Evenepoel at Paris-Nice. “In general, it’s been perfect,” he reflects of his breakthrough year in conversation with Velo. “I think achieving that [Paris-Nice win] at the beginning of the year set a tone that was really helpful for the rest of it. I’ve been riding with a different self-confidence since then and raced completely differently, and felt differently about training and the sport.”

Backing up his victory in the Race to the Sun, Jorgenson succeeded at Dwars door Vlaanderen, before coming agonisingly close to overthrowing Primoz Roglic on the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine, eventually having to settle for a stage victory and 2nd in the final GC. A more than solid Tour de France followed, finishing 8th overall, having raced in support of Jonas Vingegaard.

“Being on this team, I enjoyed it so much more having an objective very single day. Having a job you’re supposed to do that day. And it’s so much better, the time goes by faster. It’s hard, it’s challenging, but it’s worlds better for me, at least, than it was in the past,” he says of the successful transfer switch. “Maintaining a perfect diet the whole year – well at least until the end of the Olympics, after that, I went a little rogue. But having enough energy to do the training every day and get the adaptations necessary, doing that and stacking months of doing that together has helped me improve so much. I think it’s just the consistency of your body knowing there’s energy available. I would say that’s the biggest change.”

As for 2025. Does Grand Tour leadership and a GC challenge tempt the American all-rounder? “I do not know, the team has to make their plans and then they present it to me,” he concludes. “I’d have a say in it, I guess, but I don’t really get to decide that. I know that they believe I can do it, they’ve already told me. But I don’t know when it’s going to be and it’s not concerning to me so much. I have no rush to do it next year.”