Not since 2006 has a rider from the USA taken the overall victory at Paris-Nice until Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) exceeded his own expectations and did just that after a stunning day of racing on stage 8.
The 24-year-old American was every bit stage winner Remco Evenepoel’s (Soudal-QuickStep) equal on each of the five climbs that lined the 109km route around Nice. Even three stinging attacks on the Côte de Peille from the former World Champion couldn’t shake the resolute Visma-Lease a Bike man.
Jorgenson would realise on the run back to Nice from Col des Quatre-Chemins just what he was about to achieve, smiling to the cameras and punching the air on home roads as a Nice local. He had bettered a field with big stars Evenepoel and other pre-race favourite Primož Roglič (Visma-Lease a Bike) with a 30-second lead after the eighth stage.
“Well at the beginning of the week, it was not my ambition to win Paris-Nice. My ambition was to do a good run in the GC and I thought a top three was possible,” said Jorgenson honestly of his pre-race expectations.
“I remember a call with the [sports] director here, Marc Reef and he would have been happy with the top ten he said but I told him a top three is what my objective was.
“Slowly every day I guess I got a little closer, but it wasn’t until last night that it sunk in and I thought okay, now I need to win Paris-Nice. And yeah…I did it.”
Jorgenson shed some light on the situation with Evenepoel, with the agreement clearly being made between the two that they would work together with yellow jersey Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) dropped to secure both the overall and stage win respectively after a tense fight in the middle phase of racing.
“Following Remco [Evenepoel] when he’s attacking is never really that pleasant but I expected it 100%,” Jorgenson said.
“I thought he would go over the top of the bonus sprint at the beginning of the day, but then the day was already plenty chaotic enough before and I think he sensed that.
“I was just kind of sitting there waiting, waiting, waiting. And it came twice or three times, I think. Eventually the third time we got rid of Brandon and that’s what I was waiting for. Once that happened I started relaying with him and I told him, he could have the stage if he rode with me. Thankfully we work together well, so it was an honour to be with such a champion.”
It was a long way for the man who grew up in Boise, Idaho but as mentioned…
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