The Giro d'Italia is barely over and the next race is already approaching. The Critérium du Dauphiné is traditionally one of the preparation races for the Tour de France, which starts at the end of June. The Dauphiné consists of eight stages, starting in Saint-Pourcain-Sur-Sioule and finishing on the Plateau des Glieres a week later.

"We're going into this race with GC ambitions for myself and Sepp", Jorgenson said. "We start with seven strong riders, most of whom have ridden together recently in preparation for the Tour. The competition is very strong with riders like Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel and Juan Ayuso. The level will undoubtedly be high, but that will only be good after the last training block."

Maassen confirms their ambitions. "We want to see how far we can go in the GC. Matteo and Sepp will be our leaders next week. At Paris-Nice, Matteo showed he can handle a week-long stage race well. Sepp's qualities have been known for a while. He has been indispensable in our recent successes in several grand tours. Last year's Vuelta was the crowning achievement of his career. Hopefully, he can also be an important part of any success this summer", the Dutchman said.

The team's focus for the 2024 Critérium du Dauphiné will be on the final stages. While the early stages suit hill specialists and attackers, the final three stages all have an uphill finish. "The finale is extremely tough. Nobody will be able to hide there. Even Wednesday's time trial will make a difference between the GC contenders", American Jorgenson says of the 35-kilometre test against the clock.

"We're going into this race with high expectations, but we also know that we won't be at our best until the Tour de France in about four weeks", Maassen said. "As a team management, we are curious to see how things go with the guys riding the Tour. We still don't know exactly which riders will be in the squad because we don't know if Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert will be fit again. We have to wait and see. We just want to do as well as we can in this race. It's a race we'll have fond memories of", said the sports director, referring to the final victories for Team Visma | Lease a Bike by Roglic in 2022 and Vingegaard in 2023.

Jorgenson, for his part, can hardly wait. "I am looking forward to racing again. My main goal is this year's Tour de France; I am curious about my form. We will all do our best."

Dylan van Baarle, Steven Kruijswijk, Tiesj Benoot, Bart Lemmen and Koen Bouwman will join Jorgenson and Kuss for Team Visma | Lease a Bike in the French stage race this Sunday.