Updated January 14, 2026 06:59AM
There’s no guaranteed grand tour leadership, no cobblestone classics, and no Paris-Nice title defense for Matteo Jorgenson in 2026.
Instead, the rising U.S. superstar will pivot to the hilly classics and play wingman for Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France in a radically redesigned program for the new year.
The 26-year-old acknowledged it’s all a bit of a “WTF” at the Visma-Lease a Bike season launch on Tuesday.
“The past two seasons were almost identical for me, so a change was welcome,” Jorgenson said. “The coming year brings new impulses and challenges.
“It felt like the right moment to try something new, and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.
Long hailed as one of USA’s most promising stage-racers and a potential cobblestone contender, Jorgenson is going to have to become even more versatile in 2026.
Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Il Lombardia are three pillars of a totally new season that ventures deep into Pogačar territory.
“The last two years, I’ve had identical training camp situations and races. That was nice to do, and it gave me familiarity. But it got all too predictable,” Jorgenson said.
“I wanted something different, and that’s what I got. I think it will be a nice wind of fresh air.”
More fresh breeze comes to the Idahoan with only his second starts at Milan-San Remo and Amstel Gold Race, and a debut at the Tour de Suisse.
Matteo Jorgenson: Provisional 2026 schedule
Table of Contents
- 28/02-01/03: Ardèche & Drôme Classic
- 07/03: Strade Bianche
- 09/03-15/03: Tirreno-Adriatico
- 21/03: Milan-San Remo
- 04/19-04/26: Amstel, Flèche, Liège
- 17-06-21/06: Tour de Suisse
- 04/07-26/07: Tour de France
- 10/10: Lombardy
No cobbles, no Paris-Nice as Jorgenson rips up scheduling script
Jorgenson has been a cornerstone of Visma-Lease a Bike’s classics division since he joined the super team in 2024.
He won Dwars door Vlaanderen on a dark day for the “Killer Bees” in 2024, and twice hit the top-10 at the E3 Saxo Classic.
Jorgenson’s pivot from Flanders to the Ardennes is a shock, but it’s driven by physiology.
“In 2026, I’ll skip a few of the Flemish races and focus more on the hilly classics,” Jorgenson said on Tuesday. “Ideally, I’d like to ride all the spring classics, but if you really want to perform well in the Ardennes, you have to make choices.
“One of my main goals in the spring is Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a race I’m hugely excited about. I feel that this type of race with longer climbs suits me better,” said Jorgenson, who admitted last year he’d been off the beat on the cobbles.
Team prerogative is likely also a factor in Jorgenson’s surprise switch.
Visma-Lease a Bike’s score-sheet typically takes a downturn when racing hits the Ardennes.
“Amstel, Flèche, and Liège, they’re races that are closer to my abilities to the Flemish classics, with a less punchy parcours,” Jorgenson said. “I’m looking forward to them.
“I’m aiming to win them, for sure,” he said.
Jorgenson’s hype for hills comes at a cost, however. His “home race” Paris-Nice – the prestigious early-season brawl he won two years in a row – has been sacrificed in favor of a more favourable preparation for Liège.
Jorgenson will forgo his title defense at “The Race to the Sun” and instead follow Wout van Aert through the early Italian program.
“At first, I was hesitant when the idea of skipping Paris–Nice was raised, but with my goals later in the season in mind, this is the right decision,” Jorgenson explained.
“That’s why I’ve chosen to race the Italian block this year, with Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, and San Remo.”
No grand tour guarantees for Jorgenson
Another surprise?
#GCJorgenson may be on hold, as far as grand tours go, at least.
Despite speculation that Jorgenson would see classification promotion after the shock retirement of Simon YatesVisma-Lease a Bike seemingly had other plans for its American star.
On Tuesday’s team media day, Vingegaard outlined an audacious plan to follow the “Pogačar pathway” of doubling the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.
Van Aert and rising speedster Matthew Brennan were slated to lead the “Bees” at the 2026 Vuelta a España, with young climbers Ben Tulett and Jørgen Nordhagen lined up for free roles in the mountains.
Meanwhile, Jorgenson will play superdomestique at the Tour de France, the only grand tour on his calendar.
The news counters all expectations after Jorgenson spoke last week on a Visma-Lease a Bike video of his dream to test his three-week capacity.
And while he admitted in the long-form interview that 2025 had been something of a GC “reality check,” he’s got the results to back up those classification ambitions.
It’s not yet clear where Jorgenson or former Vuelta champion Sepp Kuss will fit in at the Spanish tour, if at all.
The Canadian road worlds and Il Lombardia may become Jorgenson’s entire focus after the Tour de France.
After recently signing a mega-contract through 2029, Jorgenson’s grand tour time will no doubt come.
A Swiss primer for the Tour de France
That’s not to say Jorgenson’s GC ambitions are over altogether.
The 26-year-old is lined up for leadership on his debut at the 5-day Tour de Suisse, where he’s thrown into the pit against Pogačar.
He’ll start his fifth consecutive Tour de France two weeks later.
“The Tour is always the highlight of my season. I’ll do everything I can to be in top form and to support Jonas as best as possible,” Jorgenson said.
“Before that, I’ll start in the Tour de Suisse. That’s a deliberate choice by the team and an ideal opportunity to race as a leader for the general classification once again. That’s something that really motivates me.”
It’s a schedule full of surprises and fresh motivation for one of the best U.S. racers of the generation.
It’s an experiment that could set the tone for the rest of his still young career.
