"We're really excited to get to the Alps" - Matteo Jorgenson and Visma | Lease a Bike eye high mountains at Tour de France
Cycling
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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- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
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- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
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