Matteo Jorgenson "one of the best riders in the world" according to Team Visma | Lease a Bike DS: "But winning the Tour, I don't say that"
CyclingMonday, 17 March 2025 at 15:00
Matteo Jorgenson's career has been on an upward trajectory ever since he arrived at Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the start of the 2024 season. After taking the Maillot Jaune at Paris-Nice 2025 though, the world is really beginning to take note of just how good the 25-year-old American really is.
Having already triumphed at Paris-Nice last year, Jorgenson returned to the iconic French stage race as co-leader of the team this time around, sharing the responsibility with two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard. Jorgenson took the Maillot Jaune on stage 3 after Visma won the team time trial in emphatic style. Vingegaard then proved the stronger climber of the two on stage 4, leapfrogging Jorgenson in the GC and claiming the race lead for himself. After a crash left then forced the Dane out of the race though, Jorgenson reclaimed the Maillot Jaune and in truth, never really looked like relinquishing it again.
Understandably, Team Visma | Lease a Bike were left delighted by the American's performances over the course of the week, with sports director Frans Maassen hailing the now two-time Paris-Nice winner as "one of the best riders in the world."
"You saw it everywhere last year," Maassen explains with pride to Cycling Weekly following the conclusion of Paris-Nice 2025. "I think he did some great efforts in the Tour and showed that he can ride the Classics. Of course, it was a big disappointment with the crash of Jonas, but it also makes it a bit easier that you then have one leader. I think everyone has seen that Matteo was the best rider in the race."
For the remainder of the year, Jorgenson and Vingegaard will often be riding together if all goes to plan, with a view in mind for the upcoming Tour de France later this summer. Despite his breakthrough Grand Tour performance alongside Vingegaard in 2024, Maassen is confident Jorgenson can be even better this time around. "Definitely he can play a bigger role in Grand Tours," the DS concludes. "But winning the Tour, I don't say that, but he's a very good, very talented rider and we will see much more from him in the next few years."
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- I thought he did quite well in that team if not for the illnesses and strings of bad luck.
KerisVroom13-05-2025 - For his sacrifice, he was rewarded with nice haircut by his team lead. It's heartwarming to see a team lead who appreciates his domestique.KerisVroom13-05-2025
- Have you gone Mads? Jeez, this is the Giro, and apart from there being other races and riders not participating, there are over 150 riders with plots and subplots, including a thing called the GC for which I doubt VERY much he’ll come into contention. Are there no other stories or topics to propose currently? Does every article have to include MP? Comparisons to Wout, to Danes, how hell fare on every single stage. Soon Pogi will start feeling like he’ll have to do some publicity stunt to become relevant again. How about updating us on how his UCI ranking is evolving with all the frenzy?Mistermaumau13-05-2025
- I wonder if Mads' resurgence has something to do with Lidl-Trek electing to go with Jonathan Milan for Tour de France, thereby relegating Mads to the Giro and missing TDF for the first time in his career. The way he's performing now, he looks like he's out to prove he's still viable as top gun.FredMan13-05-2025
- Let's not forget that Pedersen won the Worlds in Yorkshire in true North of England conditions which are hell basically, when it's bad..
leedorney12-05-2025 - Vingo is the best Dane cyclist. He's the only one who beat Pogi two time in Tour de France.
James2631812-05-2025 - Its a pretty easy comparison, Jonas is the best. Look at his opponent the Best rider of his generation and 3rd best of all time Pogi who he has beaten twice in TDF. Pedersen cant even beat MVDP in monumentsabstractengineer12-05-2025
- Did the person who wrote this article catch any of last season and what happened? Cut the guy some slack and stop feeding of someone else’s hard times, the above article is pretty redundant.Jezla12-05-2025
- Hey, all great and deserving of respect but let’s not look at things too pinkly. He’s only just above Marc Hirschi in the UCI rankings. He’s had the potential to do this for the last 7-8 years, it’s just all come together at once, having his moment. Maybe he went on a secret HA camp :-) Seriously though, he’s NEVER said he doesn’t believe in it (challenge: find me that quote), he said he hates it in words that would get an F1 driver punished, and for the same reasons that his fellow countryman Jonas gets crucified for, being away from family (though given team budgets, there is an obvious solution to that). Besides, not very professional of media and pundits to linger on past out of date sayings, he’s more or less changed his mind in the meantime and is no longer categoric about refusing to try.Mistermaumau12-05-2025
- I don’t think that pays off in cycling, you never know when your next problem will happen, injury, illness, crash, and using so much time to prepare for a big goal risks being very disappointing in a short career.Mistermaumau12-05-2025
Outside of Pogi and Vingo.. Jorgenson is the best GC rider along with Roglic, Remco, Ayuso, Bernal and Almeida to win GT.
Yeah, sorry, some people forget a few facts like him being in a similar age category as Tadej, Jonas, Remco, Tom and that there are plenty of promising younger riders developing too so it’s really quite far-fetched based on current givens.
Why are you putting Tom on that list of GT champions? Even stage race are not yet on his palmares 😅
He is good rider but Jorgenson is more capable of winning than Pidcock.
Based on desires and current rate of improvement he is likely to reach MJ level before the likes of (for starters) TP, JV & RE and even PR retire. It was not an exclusive list and I don’t claim to or want to know every discussable rider’s age unless it becomes necessary :-)