"We're the only team trying to bring it to Tadej Pogacar" – Matteo Jorgenson asks Visma's critics: "What would the Tour de France be like if we weren't there?"

Matteo Jorgenson has issued a pointed defence of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s aggressive approach to the 2025 Tour de France, insisting the Dutch team were the only outfit consistently willing to attack Tadej Pogacar throughout the three weeks.

Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, the American questioned critics who felt Visma’s plans were futile, arguing that without their constant pressure, the Tour would have been a far duller spectacle.

“I respond to some people's criticism as to how some of our tactics trying to beat him are pointless, and I think well, what would the Tour be like if us as a team weren't there because we're a lot of times the only team trying to bring it to him,” Jorgenson said.

Those comments set the tone for one of the most open and candid reflections yet from a Visma rider about the challenge of racing Pogacar at full power.

Jorgenson made no attempt to sugarcoat Visma’s tactical plan. Their goal, he said, was simple: probe for vulnerabilities early, disrupt Pogacar’s rhythm, and hope to prise open even a momentary weakness. But the reality was brutal.

“I think we tried every card we could against Pogacar because it's not likely you're going to beat him man to man in a normal situation. So we were looking for creative ways, let's say, to beat him,” he said.

Visma entered the race with a clear plan to test the Slovenian during the opening block, aiming to exploit any off-days before the mountains. Yet Jorgenson admitted the team never saw a single crack appear. “The idea was to find one day in those first 10 days of the Tour a weakness in Pogacar, and we didn't ever find it. He had a flawless race, other than a crash, which we didn't take advantage of.”

Jorgenson’s personal Tour unravelled midway through the race, despite a strong opening week that briefly placed him fifth overall. A lung infection on the first rest day destroyed his momentum. “The first rest day, I got really sick with a lung infection and just didn't really have anything in the high mountains,” he said, ultimately slipping to 19th by the finish.

Even so, his admiration for Pogacar never wavered — and his praise was emphatic. “I think he's by far the best cyclist I've ever seen race. And I think that's awesome for the sport, but as his competitor, you're always looking for weaknesses…. And if you're not, then it would make the Tour pretty boring.”

In the aftermath of the Tour, Pogacar acknowledged he had been managing a knee problem during the final week, something riders Tim Wellens and Nils Politt have also referenced recently. Jorgenson was asked whether he sensed it during the race.

His verdict was blunt. “His margin in this Tour was so big that even some major problems, physically, he would have still been winning the race... If he was under stress in the Tour de France, then yeah, chapeau.”

Despite being unable to unsettle the race leader, Jorgenson highlighted the final stage in Paris — the Montmartre–Champs Elysees finale — as one of the moments of his career. Helping Wout van Aert distance the yellow jersey on the Montmartre climb, before winning from a select group, remains vivid in his memory.

“It was something I won't forget. Especially in the way that Wout won, by visibly distancing the yellow jersey. I was just behind getting dropped, and I could see it all happening in front of me,” he said. “I was super happy for Wout and just happy that night to be able to really celebrate finishing the Tour on a high note. I think we lost to a better rider [overall in Pogacar], like genuinely a way better rider, but we also still achieved things as a team, like that win, it felt really good.”

Jorgenson’s reflections ultimately paint a clear picture: Visma pushed every lever they had, Pogacar proved unshakeable, and yet the team still found moments to savour. His comments leave no doubt that the fight — and the belief — will be there again next summer.