Wildcard Matteo Jorgenson also explains when Visma | Lease a Bike and Vingegaard will make their move in the Vuelta

Jorgenson is riding two Grand Tours for the first time in his career, and at the team presentation for the Vuelta, he admitted to IDLProCycling.com that, just like in the Tour de France, he will be riding for a place in the GC. He faded a little in the third week of the Tour, but in the Vuelta, it will only become clear later on whether his legs will keep turning. “Racing for the GC is one of my goals these days, and the team knows that and supports me in it. So this Vuelta could be a good opportunity,” he said.

The first week of the Vuelta went well. Jorgenson rode a good team time trial with Visma | Lease a Bike on day 5 and finished with the other GC contenders on the uphill finishes on days 6 and 7. He did this by following the pace and not wasting any energy, just like Vingegaard. “I guess in the Tour we were some of the actors of chaos, but I think we've approached this first week in a really calm manner and allowed the bike racing to happen,” Jorgenson said in an interview with Cyclingnews.

Although Vingegaard won a stage on day 2 and wore the red leader's jersey for several days, the Dane did not push too hard in the mountain stages that followed. “The second and third weeks will be tough enough,” said the top favorite of this Vuelta. Jorgenson confirmed this sentiment: “Our tactics will be different in the second and third weeks. I haven't looked too far ahead yet, but as a team, we can be confident that if we navigate the mountain stages successfully in the first week, we'll have a better chance in what's to come. That's safer for us.”

Jorgenson admitted to Cyclingnews that Vingegaard is really good after performing well in the Tour de France. He emphasizes the immense pressure and stress that a two-time overall winner like Vingegaard faced during the Tour de France. The fact that he came through it well as number two in Paris bodes well. “So when you come to the Vuelta after having done that, you feel that inner confidence that if you've done well at the Tour, you're going to pretty much do well anywhere. It just feels a lot more natural.”