Matteo Jorgenson leads but Visma head to Il Lombardia without top favourite: "We have to be honest about that"
Cycling
Many are expecting Tadej Pogacar to dominate again at Il Lombardia this weekend. One of those teams looking to take the fight to the world champion, will be Team Visma | Lease a Bike, led by their American talent, Matteo Jorgenson.
Although Jorgenson has been one of the few riders to repeatedly attempt to follow Pogacar's attacks over the course of this year, he realises that it's going to be far from straightforward to deny the all-conquering Slovenian victory. “In general, I like to be a realist while still aiming high. We don’t have the top favourite on our team, and we have to be honest about that," he admits honestly in a pre-race preview to Team Visma | Lease a Bike's official website.
Despite the somewhat reserved comment about the lack of a true favourite in the team, Jorgenson is nevertheless full of determination and optimism. "Still, speaking for myself, I’m ambitious," he continues firmly. "I believe a top 5 finish is within reach. Winning will be tough, but the race still has to be ridden."
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"Lombardy is always a huge day on the bike and it demands a lot of willingness to suffer, even just to finish. The race is quite honest and tactically straightforward. The results at the finish usually reflect exactly how strong your legs were on the day," the American concludes. “Personally, I think me and the team have managed my race calendar quite well this year, and I still have something left to give mentally. I'm not at the same level physically as I was during the summer, but I believe I can still play a role in the final of the race on Saturday."
“We haven't secured a podium result in a Monument this year, and that's something we're really aiming for on Saturday. In races like the Giro dell’Emilia and the Coppa Bernocchi, we showed strong teamwork. Bart Lemmen even came close to victory in the latter," adds sports director Marc Reef. "While we don’t have the absolute favourite for the win this time, we do have a well-rounded and strong team with Matteo, Bart, Wilco Kelderman, and Tiesj Benoot. We're definitely a team to keep an eye on. We'll assess our chances and fully commit during the race.”
Team Visma | Lease a Bike for Il Lombardia 2024:
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.
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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