Matteo Jorgenson's dream of being first American winning the Dauphine in 10 years remains alive: "I tried to follow Roglic as long as possible"

Matteo Jorgenson is a very consistent rider and has been Team Visma | Lease a Bike's main weapon this year - mostly as he's been one of the very few who escaped big injuries or illnesses. That run continues today as he managed to keep his podium position safe at the Criterium du Dauphiné.

“I felt good today. At the end I reached my limit, but on a finish like that you can expect that," the American said in a post-race interview. "My goal today was to race conservatively, partly with the next tough stages in mind. So on the final climb I opted for a steady pace. I tried to follow Roglic as long as possible, but that went a bit too fast."

The Dutch team rider's plan for the day was relatively simple: Ride within his limits and limit the losses as much as possible on a day that was not perfect for him. Although a great climber, he is unlikely to win the Dauphiné because of the level of his rivals; but after a strong start to the race and time-trial, he remains in the podium, 58 seconds behind new race leader Primoz Roglic.

“I'm happy with how we showed ourselves as a team. Sepp Kuss did not have his best day and Bart Lemmen was involved in yesterday's crash, but still they did what they could to assist me," he continued. "The conditions were not ideal, but also Tiesj Benoot and Koen Bouwman were of great value today to protect me. We will keep fighting on Saturday and Sunday.”

The team confirmed that Steven Kruijswijk and Dylan van Baarle would miss the Tour de France, and this morning team DS Grischa Niermann shared his thoughts regarding the disastrous situation:

“It is very unfortunate what happened to Dylan and Steven, especially now that their Tour de France participation is gone. But this Dauphiné is not over for us. There are still five motivated riders here who will still give it their all. Matteo can go into the final stages in an excellent position. He already proved to have good form this week."