Matteo Jorgenson's recovery is moving in the right direction with Tour de France start in sight

Matteo Jorgenson's importance for Team Visma | Lease a Bike is hard to measure with his unique set of skills. Thus it's no surprise that the American is part of the Dutch team's plans for all kinds of the biggest races. Ranging from hilly and cobbled classics, through week-long stage races and including Grand Tours, Jorgenson is an irreplacable piece in Visma's puzzle.

That is why it was terrible news to the team when Jorgenson crashed early on during the Amstel Gold Race. The American broke his collarbone and that was the end of his 2026 Ardennes bid, lining up as Visma's leader for the triptych. But even more importantly, it was not a minor issue looking towards Tour de France later this summer.

But more recent news of Jorgenson's recovery are hinting that this injury will prove to be just a small hurdle in the 25-year-old's preparation as he's already been sighted on the slopes of Sierra Nevada alongside his colleagues in Visma's Tour de France selection - Wout van Aert, Bruno Armirail, and Edoardo Affini.

Jorgenson broke his collarbone on April 19 in the Amstel Gold Race. Soon after, he underwent a surgery and was able to ride his bike again just five days later, even if just for an hour, at 138 watts.

From cycling indoor to outdoor, less than two weeks passed and Jorgenson was back on the road as early as May 1 for a two-hour ride around Nice. And since May 12, his presence on the 'Snowy mountain' is confirmed. Alongside his teammates, Jorgenson's preparation to be the key man for Jonas Vingegaard is therefore in full swing.

Besides obvious climbing tests near Granada, Jorgenson's Strava reveals a variety of other activities other than 6-hour training sessions between the walls of snow in nearly-3,000 meters of altitude such as gravel diversions.

In the run-up to the Tour, Jorgenson should normally return to racing at the Tour de Suisse, which consists of five stages this year. There he will meet Tadej Pogacar, Vingegaard's main rival for Grande Boucle, and the man Jorgenson is expected to help dethrone this July.