Jorgenson poised, jumps to second in Dauphiné with one day to go

Matteo Jorgenson went into the Tour Auvergne-Rhóne-Alpes as Visma-Lease a Bike’s designated leader. And despite tipped names such as Paul Seixas, Isaac Del Toro, Juan Ayuso all being major contenders, the American is best placed of the big names with just one stage remaining.

Jorgenson is poised in second overall, up from fourth, and heads into Sunday’s finale just 42 seconds off the yellow jersey of the Australian Luke Tuckwell.

The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider snatched yellow when he was part of Friday’s massive breakaway, gaining 3:28 on Jorgenson, and advancing 11 places in the GC.

Tuckwell’s lead is looking increasingly precarious, making the GC battle wide open with one day to go.

“I’m happy with my performance today,” Jorgenson said after Saturday’s seventh leg.

The Idahoan was prominent in the finale, driving the chase after Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) powered clear 6.7 from the summit of the Grand Colombier.

That work left him exposed to a counter attack by Del Toro, the UAE Emirates-XRG rider catching Ayuso and then pushing clear to the stage win.

Jorgenson placed fourth, 41 seconds back, but the time he already had on hand saw him end the day seven seconds ahead of Del Toro.

A high-stakes finale lies ahead

“It was a stage that became very difficult to control early on,” he said, referring to the illness-related withdrawals of Per Strand Hagenes and Jørgen Nordhagen.

“We started with a small team, but I received strong support throughout the stage.

“On the final climb, I rode at my own pace and tried to get to the top as quickly as possible. I’m pleased to be second in the general classification now.”

The WorldTour race has been won by major names in recent years, with Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard, Richie Porte, Dani Martínez, Jakob Fuglsang and Geraint Thomas all proving best in what was previous called the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Joining that contingent would be a huge addition to a fine palmares by Jorgenson, a two-time Paris-Nice winner.

Stage eight is the toughest of the race, with 4051 altitude meters lying in wait, including the hors categorie summit finish of the Plateau de Solaison.

This averages 8.9 percent over 11.5km, but there are several kilometers of more than 10 percent.

Can Jorgenson overhaul Tuckwell and fend off Del Toro, Ayuso and others?

That remains to be seen, and will require him to step up on his performance of Saturday with regards to his big rivals. However he’s feeling upbeat.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he said. “It’s a stage that should suit me well.”