"We're really excited to get to the Alps" - Matteo Jorgenson and Visma | Lease a Bike eye high mountains at Tour de France
CyclingMonday, 13 July 2026 at 13:30
Matteo Jorgenson and Visma | Lease a Bike are looking forward to the Tour de France pace slowing down on Monday as the first rest day gives the peloton respite from a relentlessly hot first week.
Temperatures have soared in France over the past week and the heat of battle in racing has been even more intense as a highly competitive general classification field has made the pace high and pushed the limits for many riders.
That's no different for Visma as the team endured a testing week. Leader Jonas Vingegaard finds himself 2:42 behind yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar, after a seismic mountain performance from the Slovenian on stage 6 put Vingegaard and the rest of the field on notice.
Although some sprint stages and breakaway opportunities have stemmed the flow and neutralised the GC fight, the Dutch team are welcoming the reprieve a rest day affords as Jorgenson looks forward to the comfort of all-day air conditioning.
"It's going to feel good to have a rest day. I might not even touch the bike tomorrow. Just stay inside and enjoy the air conditioning," Jorgenson told Cyclism'Actu.
Describing the first week as "intense", a reset is on the cards for Jorgenson as the second week brings the race across France and the Alps into view.
Visma and Jorgenson targeting high mountains
With a backloaded mountain feast set to wrap up general classification, the battleground of the Alps is certainly Vingegaard and the team's favoured terrain - despite Pogacar's dominance.
Jorgenson said: "But the first week has been really intense, that's for sure. I think it's just the heat that's been difficult for everyone. And obviously, on the day of the Tourmalet, we lost time. I think we're looking forward to a bit of a reset and we're really excited to get to the Alps."
Sunday's stage 9 offered fans some intriguing talking points, including UAE Team Emirates - XRG seemingly controlling the breakaway's gap, limiting their lead over a reduced peloton. For general classification, there was no danger, but Jorgenson joked that their focus was elsewhere.
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"My take on UAE riding to keep the gap to one minute before other teams took over? The team classification, baby," he said.
In the peripheral classification, UAE sit in third place. However, they were 27:08 down on Lidl-Trek at the beginning of the stage and their increased workload to limit the breakaway saw them finish at the same gap but leapfrog Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe into second place.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- You know nothing about what I know. And I do know about Slovenia’s living standard but that is NOT the same as being happy. Luxembourg (and Switzerland) also have very high living standards and quite low happiness, you’re just helping to argue against your claims. As for Croatia, firstly is having a beautiful coastline (certainly not everywhere) an accomplishment for a population, I guess it is for someone who feels proud because his fellow countryman worked hard and achieved something but you know what, there isn’t a person in this world who can’t pretend to be proud by your standards.Mistermaumau13-07-2026
- Sorry, that kind of argument isn’t valid. Firstly, a few minutes over 80-85 hours is peanuts, secondly the gaps are staying more or less constant meaning others are improving by similar amounts just not catching up, thirdly, not uncommon (though more in the past I feel) to have similar gaps in one day races so it’s no big deal over 3 weeks really. What troubles me more is there’s almost never a bad day anymore, max one per year, that’s the fishy part.Mistermaumau13-07-2026
- You know nothing about us. Slovenia has one of the highest living standards in Europe, we in Croatia are not as high, but we're getting there. But we do have one of the most beautiful sea coasts in the world. Ad acta!!!mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales13-07-2026
- Been to both, several times, never saw more of any of that than elsewhere, definitely not anywhere near as much as Italians, Spaniards or Greeks. You’re more like the Portuguese. Strange if we believe you that you don’t score better in happiness rankings, where everyone outside brainwashed parts of the US instinctively answers knowing money doesn’t mean happiness.Mistermaumau13-07-2026
- That was the Mou that hides the forest of Mous.Mistermaumau13-07-2026
- I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and lived there till my 19th birthday, then my parents moved back to Croatia, Split. Now I,ve been living here for 26 years, and since the second Trump term, I started to hate America. I mean, really hate the orange orangutan and the stupid Maga Trump supporters, they make me puke. Anything else you would like to know?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales13-07-2026
- Didn’t you once tell us about being in Ohio (Cleveland? Cinci? I forget) for many years and that is why you understood America so well?RidesHills13-07-2026
- 'Wins by minutes, not seconds' - that's almost exactly what Vingegaard said before the final week in the 2023 Tour (the Tour will be won by minutes, not seconds), when he turned his lead of a few seconds over Pogacar into an advantage of several minutes in just two days. That's how confident of his ability he was then, when he could more than match Pogacar. People talk more about Pog because he wins different types of races too.Hills3313-07-2026
- I live in Croatia, and I have relatives in Slovenia. I never lived in the West. I'm a Balkan "boy." You Westerners have no soul, no feeling for life, no real happiness, you're like robots... except the Italians and Spaniards, they know how to live. We in the Balkans enjoy life, it's not all about the money. Capish?mus-musculuspeedypogigonzales13-07-2026
- I had a long answer with evidence of what has changed for Pogačar in the past 5 years, but decided to delete all that. A question: would any evidence answer your questions or will you just raise them, without evidence or answers, no matter what people say? I ask honestly. An answer would help all of us know how or whether to respond to you. Thank you.RidesHills13-07-2026
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