Matteo Jorgenson is shining light in otherwise frustrating Tour de France for Movistar
Movistar's GC leader Enric Mas continues to struggle and drops out of the top-10 with the promise to ride into breakaway.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Matteo Jorgenson is the shining light in what’s an otherwise frustrating Tour de France for Spanish stalwart Team Movistar.
The American rookie fought back from a late-stage spill to finish fourth in Tuesday’s thriller over the Pyrénées to earn his third top-5 in an outstanding Tour debut for the 23-year-old.
Jorgenson, whose ridden into three winning breakaways so far in his debut Tour, is emerging as the most consistent rider on Spain’s lone WorldTour team. Only Carlos Verona, third in stage nine, posted a better result so far in the 2022 Tour for the long-running team.
The team’s GC frustrations took another blow Tuesday when designated captain Enric Mas could not deliver on the searing pace set by his Movistar teammates early on the day’s final climb in stage 16.
Also read:
- Jorgenson with another close call
- Jorgenson saves day for Mas on cobblestones
- Hugo Houle soloes to Canada’s first Tour win since 1988
With Jorgenson up the road challenging for the stage win, Mas was dropped under pressure from the leaders on the Mur de Péguère, and slipped out of the top-10 with five stages left to go.
“We tried, even though I should have been in the breakaway,” Mas said. “I was blocked when the break was forming. It’s my fault and nobody else’s.”
Bruised, not done.@MatteoJorg definitely has got something special. 🎩#RodamosJuntos | 🇫🇷 #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/XWrT6Ja6sd
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) July 20, 2022
Mas, who rode to fifth and sixth overall, respectively, in the past two editions of the Tour, was hoping to challenge for the final podium in Paris this month.
Despite climbing into the eighth overall after stage 9, Mas has been unable to follow the moves of the best or mount any sort of attacks in the key stages in the Alps or Pyrénées.
Movistar tried on Tuesday, but Mas could not counter the key GC accelerations to lose nearly three minutes to yellow jersey Jonas Vingegaard.
“We tried as a team on Lers but it didn’t work out because they moved quickly from behind. Later on Péguère I should have been more ahead,” Mas said. “Despite everything, the sensations were more or less OK. We will keep trying. Hopefully I will have the strength in the next two days in the Pyrénées to try to ride into a breakaway.”
