"Today I'm back where I belong" - Matteo Jorgenson and Visma get a much needed moral boost in mountain time trial
Cycling
Matteo Jorgenson had a horrible day on the Hautacam stage, falling out of the favorites' group on every climb and losing a lot of time at the end. Basically giving up all his podium chances.
During the mountain time trial to Peryagudes day later, he already felt better. The American showed he still has legs to be able to continue helping Jonas Vingegaard and that has given him a better feeling for the remaining high mountains in the Grande Boucle.
This is what he told Eurosport after his time trial:
"I wanted to test myself, to get back in the fight after yesterday, I was disappointed, in a way like I had given up, I had a really bad day yesterday from the start. I wanted to see that I had good legs still, I wanted to test myself against these guys to see where I was and I think today I got back to where I belong, not fighting for the podium or anything, it was a good test."
He commented on why he chose to ride on a road bike and not a time trial special: "I feel more comfortable, I admire those who can ride coupled on a climb like this," he referred to the likes of Florian Lipowitz who went for the other option.
Thus, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider was sixth fastest on the course today, just over 2 minutes behind Tadej Pogacar. In terms of general classification, this performance doesn't really move a needle for the American who remains tenth overall, 14 minutes behind the Slovenian.
But the moral boost from this time trial could prove vital for the rest of Jorgenson's Tour. With such distance of the overall leader, he can aspire to tag along with some breakaways and, of course, he'll still have team duties as Jonas Vingegaard seems well on his way to be the closest challenger of Pogacar in this race.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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