Third place Jorgenson happy with form heading into Lombardy; Van Dam closer for Visma | Lease A Bike

Jorgenson finished eighth at the World Championships and helped his compatriot Brandon McNulty secure the victory by doing a fantastic job of disrupting the chasing pack. In the Giro dell'Emilia, he played the same role for his teammate Davide Piganzoli, who went on to win the race. At the Tre Valli Varesine, it was finally his turn, but the American found himself in a tough spot.

He battled the speedy Tom Pidcock and Jarno Widar for the win. The young Belgian ultimately prevailed in the sprint. “I knew I was in a tough spot,” Jorgenson said afterward in the flash interview.

“But it was still a good day. I didn’t have the legs to attack earlier. On the final climb, I started getting cramps. I’m happy with third place. And congratulations to Jarno—that was quite a sprint,” Jorgenson said with a laugh.

That sprint was a new situation for Jorgenson, who doesn’t often sprint for the win. “I tried to think about what sprinters do. ‘What should I do? Should I look back, go early?’ They call that ‘fake it till you make it.’”

Although he didn’t win, the climber heads into the Tour of Lombardy as one of the favourites. “I’m hoping for my best result in Lombardy; it won’t be too hard to achieve (he finished 23rd in 2023, ed.). I’m looking forward to it.”

Earlier in the day, Visma | Lease a Bike came even closer to victory. Van Dam sprinted for the win in a larger group but was narrowly beaten by Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE).

“There were a lot of strong riders today, and I tried to put myself in the best possible position,” Van Dam said on her team’s website. “Second place was the best I could do today.”

She had previously finished second in the Giro dell'Emilia. “I’ve gained a lot of confidence from these two races. Things are moving in the right direction. I want to be able to compete for the win, and today the team really put me in that position. So we’re getting closer and closer, and I’m taking this momentum with me into the next season,” she concludes.