On a proud day for American cycling, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) claimed the biggest victory of his career so far, winning the overall title at Paris-Nice.
The 24-year-old from Idaho went into Sunday's final stage in second on the general classification, four seconds behind his friend and compatriot Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates). He then rode astutely into Nice, tagging onto a trio of attacks from Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) with 44km to go, and following the Belgian to the line.
Evenepoel won the two-up sprint for the stage, a silver lining for his efforts, and rose to second in the general classification. McNulty held onto a podium spot to place third overall.
Prior to Sunday, the last American victory at Paris-Nice came in 2006, when Jorgenson was just six years old. Honours that year went to Floyd Landis, who later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career.
"Until this year, I never would have believed that this was possible, but here we are," Jorgenson said post-race.
"It couldn't have gone any better today really, and the whole week. It hasn't really sunk in yet, to be honest. I could barely sleep last night, to be honest with you. I was so nervous and felt, for the first time in my life, pressure.
"To have it come together like that, and to ride in with such a champion like Remco, was just a really special moment."
Ahead of stage eight in Nice, Jorgenson said he "expected only the unexpected". The final day of the 'Race to the Sun', a punchy 109km stage with over 2,200m elevation, opened with downpours on the French Riviera, and pointed to a dramatic closing act.
Victor Campanaerts (Lotto Dstny) started proceedings with an early rampage, ripping up the front of the race, before being reeled in just after the halfway point.
As Campanaerts rejoined the pack, Evenepoel put in two thrashing digs to try and wriggle away. The former world champion, known for his long-range attacks, began the day in fourth, 36 seconds behind the race leader, McNulty, whose team-mates helped quash the initial attempts to go solo.
A third dig By Evenepoel, however, broke through UAE Team Emirates. Inside 44km to go, the Belgian split the front group on the penultimate climb, towing Jorgenson and Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe) to the summit. The trio stretched out their advantage on the descent to over a minute ahead of the yellow jersey.
Local knowledge would then play into Jorgenson's hands. "I knew this course from my heart," the Nice resident said. "I could tell you right now every single corner."
Over the 1.7km Col dÈze, the American pickpocketed Evenepoel to maximum bonus seconds, and then helped drive the pace to drop Vlasov on the final climb.
On the run-in to Nice, the final duo exchanged a few words, and sealed their own destinies. Jorgenson, the champion-elect, began his celebrations to the TV motorbikes, while Evenepoel pushed ahead to take the stage victory.
"I'm not going to get ahead of myself," the Visma-Lease a Bike rider said afterwards, asked if he now had bigger ambitions. "This is a really nice victory and a really good achievement in my life. I'm just going to try and enjoy it, and keep my feet on the ground."
Results
Paris-Nice 2024, stage eight: Nice > Nice (109km)
1. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, in 2-50-03
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, at same time
3. Aleksandr Vlasov, Bora-Hansgrohe, +50s
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den), Lidl-Trek, +1-39
5. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates, at same time
6. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan, +2-13
7. Michael Storer (Aus) Tudor Pro Cycling
8. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
9. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers
10. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla, all at same time
Final general classification
1. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 27-50-23
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step, +30s
3. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates, +1-47
4. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +2-22
5. Aleksandr Vlasov, Bora-Hansgrohe, +2-57
6. Luke Plapp (Aus) Jayco AlUla, +3-08
7. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, +4-03
8. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +4-35
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) Bora-Hansgrohe, +5-33
10. João Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates, +6-08
