After racing against and losing out to Tadej Pogačar at the Tour of Flanders, Critérium du Daphiné and Tour de France, Matteo Jorgenson couldn’t help but admit that he was relieved not to see the world champion on the start list for the Vuelta a España.
Jorgenson makes up part of a very strong Visma-Lease a Bike team riding in support of Tour runner-up Jonas Vingegaard on the roads from Turin to Madrid, which kicks off this Saturday. He will be one of the Dane’s key domestiques, with his versatility making him a valuable asset across all terrains.
The Visma pair won’t have the challenge of defeating the all-conquering Pogačar as they have done at the biggest races this season, with Juan Ayuso and João Almeida taking up the reins for UAE in his absence.
“Uh, is it a relief? Yeah, actually, yeah,” said Jorgenson, speaking to Indeleiderstrui, before clarifying the impact Pogačar’s presence typically brings.
“The race will be very different without him because every rider will ride differently without him. If Pogačar is in, he forces everyone to race differently, whether you’re going for a stage win or the GC.
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s not often that I get the chance to race without him in the race. I’m going to enjoy it.”
Vingegaard was asked a similar question, speaking at his pre-Vuelta press conference on Thursday, but wasn’t as explicit as Jorgenson when speaking about Pogačar not taking on the Vuelta a originally planned.
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