Matteo Jorgenson explains why Visma | Lease a Bike waited for final climb to attack

“We started the day with the ambition of aiming for the overall classification," said leader Matteo Jorgenson, eventually third in the stage. "I thought it was smartest to attack on the final climb, especially with the strong headwind in the last ten kilometer."

"Unfortunately, I didn’t have the legs I had yesterday, but Isaac was simply the strongest. I’m grateful for the team’s support and happy to finish on the podium,” the American said, riding Tirreno-Adriatico for the first time.

Sport director Jesper Morkov also saw a good team performance. “We rode very well as a team today. We were well-positioned throughout the day, and with Timo in the early break, we had an extra card to play later in the race."

Tim Rex and Wout van Aert also impressed. "On the final short climbs, we made the race hard, but ultimately it came down to a battle among the favourites on the last climb. Matteo was very strong, but Del Toro proved even stronger.”

Van Aert additionally gained confidence heading into the classics, he said after finishing 21st in the queen stage. “It’s difficult to simulate something like this in training,” the Belgian explained. “Here the pace is dictated by others and you have to respond to attacks.”

“It's a cliché, but you can't replicate that in training. There have been a few stages where I was able to do my thing. I've come close to victory. I'm satisfied with how I feel, but patience is a virtue,” said the Belgian, who is still waiting for his first win of the year.