Cyclist
‘I have a brain that doesn’t really let up’: Matteo Jorgenson Q&A
Cyclist: 2023 was your breakthrough year. What changed?
Matteo Jorgenson: I’d spent three years at Movistar and was progressing at a good rate but I still hadn’t won a race. I was coming into the final year of my contract and felt I’d learned what the best teams were doing in terms of training and nutrition but because of their budget the team couldn’t provide me with those things.
I decided before the 2023 season to invest everything I earned that year into my training and equipment, including my own personal altitude camps. I sacrificed everything and literally trained alone for four months, doing everything perfectly. I’m really happy I did that because I won my first race at the Tour of Oman [in February 2023] and that was a really big mental barrier to break through. Once that happened it made me look at myself and the sport completely differently.
What’s been the biggest difference between Movistar and Visma?
My training philosophy. Before, I spent most of my life training in the grey zone and riding a lot of tempo, but at Visma we have a polarised training approach and it’s probably made the biggest ever difference to my performance.
Some riders dislike altitude training – what are your thoughts on it?
I ski raced every winter in Idaho so I was always at 2,000m-plus, and since I started taking cycling seriously I’ve probably gone to 16 altitude camps. From what I’ve read and understood, the amount of time you spend at altitude in your life has an impact on how well you adapt, and I always come back feeling good. Those stints at altitude are often when I’ve felt most purpose. You cut everything else from your life and all that’s left is the training process. It’s time I cherish and look back on with fondness.
What type of rider are you?
It’s really hard to pin it down exactly. I think I’m a pretty light all-rounder – I’m not sure if there’s a better way to put it. I’m light for my size and that’s got me pretty far, but I don’t think I’ll ever be a pure climber because of my height. But my leg length and power profile makes it possible for me to do one-day races really well, something other climbers typically can’t do.
Do you have a secret weapon in the Classics?
My mental preparation. One of the DSs at Movistar drilled into me that you have to know where you are geographically to do well in the Belgian races. If you know you’re coming up to Oudeenarde, you have an idea of what bergs you’re going to be hitting. Because I didn’t grow up racing there, I spend a lot of time on VeloViewer and I write each climb down in a journal to memorise the order. I then make a plan for myself of what position I’m going to be in, where I’m going to be more relaxed, where I’m going to be more concentrated, and when it comes to the race I’m way more in control.
Are you studious?
I wasn’t the best student but my brain is pretty active. I have a brain that doesn’t really let up, but that helps me. If I don’t plan things ahead of time, especially a bike race where there are so many uncontrollable things, then I can get pretty anxious and my brain shuts down some of the good processes. I like to get races ironed out in my head beforehand, and if I can do that a lot of the other stuff goes more smoothly.
How was your first Tour de France in 2022?
Pretty humbling. I didn’t know what the front end of the peloton looks like in these big mountain stages, and I was pretty shocked just how far away I was from Tadej [Pogačar] and Jonas [Vingegaard], and how much work I’d have to do to close that gap.
You’ve said before you’re too tall at 6ft 2in to win a Grand Tour – do you still think that?
That perception is changing slowly in my mind. What I said stems from my size. We’re burning a lot more calories every single day and racing a lot harder in Grand Tours, and that makes it more challenging for bigger guys like myself because the bigger you are, the more air you have to push around and the more food you have to absorb.
They’re limiting factors that made me sceptical about winning a Grand Tour. But the Tour last year [he finished 8th on GC] definitely changed my opinion, and I think if I really nail everything and can make some improvements with nutrition, I think it could be possible. The team is convinced I can do it.
What’s it like racing with Jonas Vingegaard?
A pleasure. The nice thing with him is that he’s super-good at positioning; you never have to second guess where he’ll be. In hectic moments Jonas is literally always where he needs to be in the leadout – often even ahead of you – and he never loses the wheel. He puts his head down, gives his absolute 100%. We’ll do whatever it takes to make him win the Tour this summer.
You speak fluent Spanish and French – do languages come naturally to you?
My mum speaks seven languages and though I only spoke English as a child, when she was raising me she was constantly speaking another language. We travelled a lot, so I felt like I had a leg up on a lot of other guys, especially Americans, when it came to learning Spanish and French. And it was important for me to be able to communicate with everyone when joining a foreign team.
You’ve already won Paris-Nice this year. What other targets do you have for 2025?
Winning another WorldTour stage race or a one-day race again, like I did in 2024, would make the season a huge success for me, but I’m realistic – that’s going to be difficult. To enter the top ten of the UCI rankings is something I can control a bit more and is a sign that I’m getting better in every race I do.
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