Matteo Jorgenson: I've realised I'm capable of winning

Three years ago when Matteo Jorgenson began riding for Movistar he stood out for his tall silhouette on the bike and his ginger-coloured hair when he removed his helmet. The lanky kid from the western expanses of the US now commands words like “mature” and “grande” from team managers and “beast” from fellow riders.

In 2022 his stature grew in size when he had three big days in breakaways in his first Tour de France. Those aggressive rides earned him three top five finishes, including a fourth place on a mountain stage from Morzine to Megève.

Fast forward six months, with an off-season stacked with extra training, equipment tweaks and intense focus on fueling his body, he won his first overall GC title at Tour of Oman. And two months later he was ruling the roads at Tour de Romandie, finishing second overall.

There were no doubts that adding Jorgenson to the Tour de France squad again this year would give Movistar a solid option for a stage win, but the 23-year-old wants to go in fresh and focus on his role to support GC rider Enric Mas.

“Management is very clear about me being there as a support rider for Enric, and as long as he is still connected in the GC, that’s why I am selected,” Jorgenson told Cyclingnews.

“It’s good to have the experience of last year's Tour in my head while preparing. I can remember back to the feelings in the second and third week, when your body is totally compromised, and it helps me realise how important starting it fresh is. These weeks leading up, I am prioritising recovery and quiet time as much as possible before such a big and stressful month.”

Of the three massive efforts from last year's Tour, Jorgenson said he was most proud of his ride on stage 10, being part of a large 25-rider break across 148km from  Morzine to Megève. On the final slopes, the US rider attacked twice, and was only reeled back on the final 500 metres rising to 7.1% at the Megève Altiport, taking fourth.

“I am most proud of my fourth place in Morzine. It was a really challenging mountain stage and a very complicated fight to get into the breakaway. It took a ton of focus and effort to filter into the right move and then make the splits on the final climb," he recalled.

"In the final I am proud of how I rode and was all or nothing for the win. Despite the group coming back together in the final few hundred meters on the runway it feels like the closest I was to a stage win."

First GC win and WorldTour podium

Team director Max Sciandri confirmed that the young rider from Idaho began to demonstrate his eagerness to prove his metal with the team at last year’s Tour, and in the early months of 2023 was ready for another Grand Tour. He expected Jorgenson to support Mas in the GC fight, but also seek stage opportunities.

“For the Tour de France 2023, he could have a chance to go for a stage. For sure Matteo has matured. I was with him in Oman. It’s a big step forward for Matteo, physically and mentally. And how he prepares for races - uphill finishes, gearing, hydration - it’s a big improvement,” Sciandri told Cyclingnews.

Sciandri saw the metamorphosis of Jorgenson first hand at the Tour of Oman. Jorgenson claimed a convincing victory on the slope of Jabal Haat, second of three mountain finishes in the Tour of Oman, and took over the leader’s jersey for his GC title. The Movistar team referred to Jorgenson’s victory on stage 3 as the time he showed “world-class quality”.

After his first GC title, the 23-year-old placed in the top 10 with the best young rider title at Paris-Nice. He rounded out the spring Classics season with top 10s at E3 Saxo Classic and the Tour of Flanders. Then he hit a big career milestone with a second place at the recent Tour de Romandie. At the Swiss stage race, he raced into virtual yellow on the penultimate day only to be overhauled for the win by Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates).

“My biggest highlight came in Oman, without doubt. Winning my first race is something I’ll remember forever and it was a big turning point for me personally. It’s not the biggest race in the world but it made me realise I was capable of winning,” Jorgenson stated.

Earlier this season he explained on social media that his transformation from contender to winner was in part due to his extra dedication, and personal investment, to physical and mental development. He took part in a solo training campaign, in addition to the team’s camps, and used his own money for a nutritionist, among other things.

"I hired a nutritionist and have weighed and logged every gram of food I've eaten since December to make sure I'm always at race weight and adequately fuelled. It's all paid off," he wrote.

Idaho connection

Jorgenson was born and raised in Idaho. In geographic size, Idaho is among the 15 largest states in the US, slightly smaller than the United Kingdom. The Rocky Mountains dictate much of the terrain and provide extensive mining that give the state its nickname, the ‘gem state’. Apparently, road cyclists are also precious gems that thrive in the area as well.

When Jorgenson joined Movistar in 2020 he was the lone North American on the Spanish team. With him for a second season is fellow Idahoan Will Barta. And he received training as a junior from two-time time trial World Champion and three-time Olympic champion Kristin Armstrong, who is from Boise. Small world indeed. But not so small.

“Coming from Byrds Cycling all the way to the same WorldTour team is something that I don’t think the 10 year olds in us could even imagine. Here we are now with the same passion and appreciating all the support from home,” Barta posted to social media in May.

Jorgenson began riding with BYRDS Cycling (Boise Young Rider Development Squad). In 2010, he won a national title as a junior in cyclo-cross. With Hot Tubes, Jorgenson got one of his first experiences in Europe, the 2015 Junior Tour of Ireland, where he came away with a win on stage 5.

“I had help from Kristin Armstrong as a junior. She helped me with aerodynamic testing in the wind tunnel in San Diego when I was 16. My time with Hot Tubes Cycling in my later years as a junior were quite formative. They allowed me to step up a level from BYRDS and get to bigger races with better support and a good group of peers around me from age 16-18.”

This week Barta raced at US Pro Road National Championships and won the silver medal in the elite men’s time trial, finishing behind winner Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates). Jorgenson last raced US nationals in 2018 when he waa on the domestic scene for Jelly Belly. He said he missed it, but had eyes on his real job, now a focus on the Tour.

“It’s impossible to do the Nationals if you are doing the Tour unfortunately,” he said, adding that he was disappointed he could not join Barta in the mix.

“This year there hasn’t been a lot of keeping it fresh to be honest. When I’m in the season and in Europe, it’s all quite focused and outside of the training and recovery cycle, I don’t do much else. Reading is my best way of mentally disconnecting. In the offseason I love to ski and spend time outdoors, backpacking or bikepacking but since your sleep is so compromised its almost impossible to do during the season.”

Jorgenson as well as Barta are in their final contract year with Movistar. It was not known if either rider would receive an extension. What was known was that a Grand Depart in northern Spain would make it a wild start for Jorgenson and his Movistar team.

“It will be hectic in Bilbao. For the Spanish riders and the team, it’s a dream come true and there is a lot of excitement and stress already building around it. On top of the internal excitement, the fans in Bilbao are expected to be on another level so I am preparing myself for a very loud and busy first week. Let’s hope I can avoid crashing and get to the second week in one piece.”