Fracture Spells End of Ardennes Classics Campaign for Matteo Jorgenson

US star Matteo Jorgenson was in fine form heading into the Ardennes Classic and made the winning split Sunday, but he will play no further part in those races following a high impact crash during the Amstel Gold Race.

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was to the fore on the Kruisberg climb with approximately 42km left and was able to respond when Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) put in a huge acceleration.

Eventual race winner Remco Evenepoel was the first to latch onto Grégoire, but Jorgenson, defending champion Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) and Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers) were also able to respond.

However once on the descent Vauquelin slid out on a left hand bend with 41km to go, bringing Jorgenson down. The American hit the ground hard and appeared the most badly hurt, withdrawing from the race.

The two-time Paris-Nice winner was taken for medical checks and, according to Visma-Lease a Bike, incurred a fracture in the fall.

“Matteo broke his collarbone in his crash during the Amstel Gold Race. As a result, he will not start in the Flèche Wallonne or Liège–Bastogne–Liège,” it wrote on social media.

“We wish Matteo a good and speedy recovery.”

The news is a blow for the Idahoan, who recently returned from altitude training and who was in an upbeat mood prior to the race.

“The Amstel Gold Race is a challenging but beautiful classic,” Jorgenson said in recent days.

“My spring has gone flawlessly so far and I feel good. Right now I’m exactly where I want to be.”

‘It’s very frustrating race ended this way’

In March Jorgenson took second overall behind Isaac del Toro in Tirreno-Adriatico.

He rode Milan-San Remo and then spent time in the high mountains to prepare for the Ardennes Classics. He believed the Amstel Gold Race could be well suited to his attributes.

“On Sunday, the climbs come one after another, which makes the race so tough. It’s the kind of race that suits riders like me, where I can show my strengths,” he said.

“The motivation within the team is high to fight for the win. I’ve been building toward this period for a long time, and I’m happy it’s finally here.”

Jorgenson spent a period of time at altitude in order to be in the best possible shape for these spring targets but those aspirations were dealt a blow by Vauquelin’s fall. The Frenchman went down right in front of the American, with the two bikes colliding and Jorgenson thudding onto his right shoulder.

He stayed on the ground afterwards looking very sore and later discovered his collarbone had been fractured.

“We had high expectations for this race and were well prepared,” directeur sportif Frans Massen said.

“Everyone could see that Matteo was in great form, so it’s very frustrating that our race ended this way. As a team, we were well positioned throughout. The riders did a great job keeping Matteo in a good position all day. The goal was to be among the first to crest the Gulperberg and the Kruisberg.

“He looked fresh on those climbs, but unfortunately he crashed shortly afterward. That’s extremely disappointing.”

It is, both for the team and Jorgenson himself. His fans will feeling similarly dejected, wishing to see how his Ardennes Classic campaign would pan out after his change in targets and approach.

It is not clear yet when he will be able to return to training or racing, but the Tour de France is sufficiently far away to make a start there possible.