"We have a very similar mindset and we're good friends" - Matteo Jorgenson opens up on close bond with Jonas Vingegaard

It hasn't taken long for Matteo Jorgenson to prove himself as one of Team Visma | Lease a Bike's most important riders. After a stunning debut season in 2024 saw the American take notable wins at Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen, the 25-year-old is expected to once again be a leading light of the team in 2025.

"Basically, I'm trying to do the same thing I did last year. I always follow the old adage: don't change a winning formula. Last year, it went very well and I also had a lot of fun," Jorgenson previews of his campaign in conversation with Cyclism'Actu. "Mentally, I was able to handle the load of those races, so I decided to keep the exact same program for this spring."

Alongside a number of appearance in the Classics, including Opening Weekend just been, Paris-Nice is set to once again be front and centre of Jorgenson's early season goals. "Honestly, it’s still a pretty similar atmosphere to the classics, at least for the first few days. That’s good. And that’s why I think doing the Opening Weekend is so useful before Paris-Nice. Then, as the race goes on, the tension fades and it becomes a pure physical confrontation. That’s really what I’m looking forward to, the last five days of Paris-Nice," he explains. "I want to win Paris-Nice. That's my goal. I have only great memories. I love this race, it's my favourite. It's one of the biggest, if not the biggest, one-week stage races. At least that's how I see it, it's my favourite."

Winning Paris-Nice is of course, something Jorgenson has already proven he can do, seeing off the challenge of Remco Evenepoel among others to take the Maillot Jaune in 2024. "It was a truly unique moment... It remains the highlight of a great year for me and I was very close to home," he recalls proudly. "I knew the course by heart, I could describe every turn. I am really looking forward to going back and pinning on bib 1 for the first time in my career."

This time around though, Jorgenson's biggest threat for the Maillot Jaune comes in the form of his own teammate, Jonas Vingegaard. Jorgenson performed admirably as a super-domestique for the Dane at the 2024 Tour de France, and has formed a strong bond with his team leader since joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike, both on a personal and professional level.

"Jonas and I get along really well. I just think we have a very similar mindset and we're good friends. So I think we're going to race together really well," Jorgenson says of his and Vingegaard's bond, refusing to rule out the prospect of winning the race again ahead of his teammate. "It's always the same with Paris-Nice. So many scenarios can happen until the last day..."