"Jonas might have benefited from an even higher pace to numb Pogacar’s explosiveness" - Matteo Jorgenson analyzes Visma's defeat on Galibier
Cycling
Matteo Jorgenson was unable to keep up with the better climbers in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday. The American sensation met his limits on the flanks of the Col du Galibier and had to concede almost three minutes to winner Tadej Pogacar in Valloire.
"It was a learning experience," the Visma | Lease a Bike rider reflected on the stage afterwards. "On the Galibier we couldn't pedal the same values as UAE Emirates, that was clear. I didn't have the best day myself. I had the feeling that my saddle was too high along the way. That's often the case when the legs aren't so good. I went to the team car to fix it."
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"I just had a bad day two days after my crash," Jorgenson said. He also commented on his leader Jonas Vingegaard losing some time to Tadej Pogacar. "We did our best. Jonas might have benefited from an even higher pace on the Galibier to numb Pogacar’s explosiveness. But I couldn’t push the pace any further. My bad, but the legs just weren’t good enough."
Jorgenson was still able to at least finish in the second group of favourites, at 2:42 behind Tadej Pogacar. Thus he's now 11th overall, at the same time as other stars like Felix Gall, Egan Bernal or Adam Yates.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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- What a travesty ! That little deviation did nothing to impede Brand !frieders307-11-2026
- I also wanne beat Pogacar in the tour but it aint gonne happen. Jonas unfortunately getting dropped by del toro and seixas several times this TDF and jonas team is very weak and joinas on way down, it aint happening thats clear. its also clear it only happened cause Pogacar was hurt and had a broken wrist that time everytime both full strenght its not close we just have to be honest about it :/miguel07-11-2026
- They do this but literally let cars on courses to run over riders.mij07-11-2026
- Looking at that photo she appears to be several feet from her. I’m not sure how that impeded brands sprint.mij07-11-2026
- I hope you are wrong but I suspect you will be proved correct. It might do something for Scottish tourism - although due to logistics the route skips the most spectacular parts of Scotland. It will bring in short term money no doubt, but will cycling overall in the U,K benifit? I doubt it. Even at £2 a litre the bits love thei cars,Cyclingsbestfan07-11-2026
- Lucky to not get disqualified
leedorney07-11-2026 - The road from Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle is a nice steady climb of just over a mile that is cobbled in many parts. (Very slippery if wet!) If the teams are going by one by one that will give fans an even better view of the riders up close than the castle esplanade.Cyclingsbestfan07-11-2026
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026
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