12 things you didn’t know about American Matteo Jorgenson, Vingegaard's lieutenant at the Tour

Idaho native Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) is no stranger to the Tour de France. Despite being just 25 years old, he's currently in the middle of his third appearance at the iconic race.

This year, however, he's been tasked with his biggest responsibility yet: protect and serve defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard.

Vingegaard's usual lieutenant in the mountains, fellow American Sepp Kuss, had to miss out on this year's Tour de France due to Covid. So now Vingegaard will be relying on the young Jorgenson in the team's quest to three-peat at the Tour. With a historic win at Paris-Nice, another victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen and a second place at the Criterium du Dauphiné this year already, Jorgenson is proving himself to be quite the versatile asset for his new team.

He's undoubtedly one of America's biggest stars in the peloton right now, so it's high time we get to know him better. 

1. Although he was born near the Bay Area in California, Jorgenson grew up in Boise, Idaho, a small city of around 250,000 residents and the chosen home of celebrated Olympic cyclist Kristin Armstrong.
2. Jorgenson currently trains and resides in Nice, France. He lives with fellow American Sean Quinn (EF Education EasyPost) and says Nice is the 'best place in Europe to road bike'. 
3. Jorgenson began his cycling career with the Boise Young Rider Development Squad (BYRDS) alongside Will Barta of Team Movistar.
4. In 2010, Jorgenson won his first U.S. National Title in cyclocross in the age 10-12 category. 

5. At age 19, Jorgenson was part of Team Jelly Belly-Maxxis and listed his favorite Jelly Belly flavor as “Juicy Pear” and his favorite Jelly Belly Sport Beans flavor as “Extreme Watermelon.”
6. Jorgenson’s first UCI pro team contract was with Team Movistar; 2024 is his first year on Team Visma-Lease a Bike.
7. Jorgenson speaks French. He learned French by immersing himself with his French teammates at team meals in his late teens and early twenties 
8. Jorgenson stands tall. At 6'3"  (190cm), he's a good six inches taller than the average American and considers himself too tall to be a grand tour contender. "I think, for a guy my size, it'd be a pretty big challenge to go for three weeks with so much energy demand," he commented.

9. His near-win during stage nine of last year’s Tour de France was exciting for the fans, but Jorgenson himself described it as being a “mental battle.” With the final part of that stage being free of spectators he suffered in the “weird atmosphere.”
10. Jorgenson had to drop out of the 2023 Tour de France ahead of stage 16, citing a tear in his right hamstring.
11. The American made history this March when he became the first American rider since 2006 to win Paris-Nice. Jorgenson, who lives in Nice, cited his in-depth knowledge of the course as a key factor in his win: “I knew this course from my heart - I could tell you right now every single corner.”
12. Just a couple of weeks after Paris-Nice, Jorgenson again struck gold as he powered to a solo victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen, after making a final attack on the last cobbled section of the course.