{"id":1889819,"date":"2026-04-18T10:26:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T07:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1889819"},"modified":"2026-04-18T10:26:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T07:26:02","slug":"amstel-gold-ambition-matteo-jorgenson-to-draw-double-inspiration-from-van-aert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1889819","title":{"rendered":"Amstel Gold Ambition: Matteo Jorgenson to Draw Double Inspiration from Van Aert"},"content":{"rendered":"
On a high after winning Paris-Roubaix with Wout van Aert, Visma-Lease a Bike is vying to keep the same momentum going with Matteo Jorgenson Sunday.<\/p>\n
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The American rider is the team leader for the Amstel Gold Race and is feeling upbeat on the eve of the race.<\/p>\n
He completely switched up his approach to this spring, passing up the chance to win a third consecutive Paris-Nice to instead ride Tirreno-Adriatico, where he took second overall. He also swerved away from the northern classics and semi-classics to ride races like Strade Bianche and the Faun Drome Classic.<\/p>\n
The reason for the change? To properly target the Ardennes Classics for the first time in his career, going to those events with a real hope of success.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Amstel Gold Race is a challenging but beautiful classic,\u201d Jorgenson said this weekend, sounding upbeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy spring has gone flawlessly so far and I feel good. Right now I\u2019m exactly where I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Now 26, Jorgenson rode the Dutch race just one before, netting 37th two years ago. He\u2019s a much more experienced rider now and with Visma-Lease a Bike on a high after Van Aert\u2019s Roubaix success and GC wins in Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya with Jonas Vingegaard, the hope is the Dutch squad can pull off another huge result.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, Van Aert was team\u2019s last winner of the Amstel Gold Race, tasting success in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal was to start the Ardennes Classics in good shape and in good health, and I\u2019ve achieved that,\u201d Jorgenson said. \u201cI opted for a different race calendar, and it\u2019s working well for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat new approach, with the Italian races, gave me a fresh boost. I\u2019ve gained new experiences that I can carry into these important races.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2018The race suits riders like me\u2019<\/h2>\nMatteo Jorgenson was second to Isaac del Toro in Tirreno-Adriatico (Photo: Tim de Waele\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
When the race rolls out of Maastrict on Sunday morning, Jorgenson will be up against a strong field. However the absence of Tadej Poga\u010dar (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) removes two key rivals.<\/p>\n
Also missing are Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), both fatigued after a heavy race programme, plus the recently-injured Isaac del Toro and Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates XRG), recently-operated Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) plus his teammate Juan Ayuso.<\/p>\n
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However Remco Evenpoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is a clear challenger, as are the likes of defending champion Matthias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), K\u00e9vin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers), Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) and Romain Gr\u00e9goire (Groupama-FDJ United).<\/p>\n
Jorgenson he is looking forward to what is a very selective course, knowing that if his form is as good as he hopes, he will have a platform to excel.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Sunday, the climbs come one after another, which makes the race so tough. It\u2019s the kind of race that suits riders like me, where I can show my strengths,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe motivation within the team is high to fight for the win. I\u2019ve been building toward this period for a long time, and I\u2019m happy it\u2019s finally here.<\/p>\n
The 1991 champion Frans Maassen will share important experience from behind the wheel of the team car. He is convinced that Jorgenson, Cristophe Laporte, Per Strand Hagenes, Menno Huising, Ben Tulett, Axel Zingle and Filippo Fiorelli can, combined, propel the American or perhaps one of the other riders to the top of the podium.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have a team capable of competing for the win,\u201d Maassen said. \u201cMatteo has prepared well for this phase of the season and is motivated to make an impact. He\u2019ll be supported by a strong group of riders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maassen named Tulett as another who could shine.<\/p>\n
First-ever US winner?<\/h2>\nAmerican rider Matteo Jorgenson during the team presentation at Milan \u2013 San Remo (Photo: Dario Belingheri\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Jorgenson, though, is the more logical candidate and wants to make the most of his chance.<\/p>\n
His motivation will be heighted by the fact that no US rider has ever topped the Amstel podium, and also as the Dutch event is a home race for Visma-Lease a Bike.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the biggest race in the Netherlands, and the tension always builds in the days leading up to it,\u201d Maassen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all enjoyed Wout van Aert\u2019s victory in Paris-Roubaix. It would be great to carry that momentum into this special week for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Matteo-Jorgenson.jpg”] Shane Stokes Updated April 18, 2026 11:39AM On a high after winning Paris-Roubaix with Wout van Aert, Visma-Lease a Bike is vying to keep the same momentum going with Matteo Jorgenson Sunday. The American rider is the team leader for the Amstel Gold Race and is feeling upbeat on the eve of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1889819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1889819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1889819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1889819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1889819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Matteo](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2266639772.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
![\"American](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2267571886.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")