Top US rider Matteo Jorgenson has made major changes to his calendar and won’t race the cobbled Classics or his beloved Paris-Nice in 2026, instead opting to focus on the hilly Classics, with a Monument, and more specifically Liège-Bastogne-Liège, circled as his key goal.
He will race the Tour de France again to help Jonas Vingegaard, but despite stating recently how he would like to be a leader at a Grand Tour, and reigning Giro winner Simon Yates’ retirement leaving a gap for someone to step up, that will not be happening in 2026.
Himself more of a climber, Jorgenson is eyeing up the longer ascents that feature at Amstel Gold Race and Liège as somewhere he can thrive, but he also has emotional connections to the race, from his first experiences racing in Europe and his time at Movistar.
“Liège is a race that I’ve done a few times, but I’ve also watched it the past couple years, and I’ve just always wanted to be there, because those longer climbs I feel are good for me, and might be a little bit better than the Flemish ones,” he said.
“But also, I raced Liege with Alejandro Valverde, and I think it was his last time doing Liège, and he had won it, I don’t know how many times, but I just remember his passion for the race.
“The night before that edition, we watched a bunch of Alejandro’s victories at Liège, and I remember the fun and exciting emotions and looking forward to it. It’s a special and historical race, and something that I just want to do again, because I think it suits me well.”
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