"Never come into GC mode again, thank you" - Remco Evenepoel jokes with Matteo Jorgenson after Paris-Nice surprise

Remco Evenepoel did not have an ideal Paris-Nice but stormed through the final stage to climb up the GC and finish second. However he found a rider who matched him at every key opportunity, Matteo Jorgenson, who Evenepoel hopes not to have to battle against again.

The American benefited from better weather conditions in the team time-trial and a strong tactical move on stage 6 to be able to gain enough advantage to hold off Evenepoel whilst being able to distance Brandon McNulty. It was not a complete surprise, but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider has taken the expected next step after joining the Dutch team, after doing much of his own preparation by himself with Movistar in previous years.

However Jorgenson is not only a strong stage-racer, but a very good classics rider. He was near a triumph at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and is racing the cobbled classics block starting today at the E3 Saxo Classic where he is a strong contender.

He posted on Instagram in anticipation to these key days and in his comments was a particularly interesting one. "Never come into GC mode again, thank you," Evenepoel joked in his rival's post. With Jorgenson riding the Tour de France as a domestique for Jonas Vingegaard, it will certainly be a rather meaningful obstacle for the Belgian who aims for a strong GC result.