“We played this perfectly. It’s the first sprint I have ever won in my career”, a delighted Jorgenson says afterwards. Ahead of the final stage, the 26-year-old leader of the Dutch squad was still in third place in the general classification. The only way to move up one spot was to win bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint.

With three breakaway riders making their move early after the start in Civitanova Marche, Team Visma | Lease a Bike positioned itself at the front of the peloton heading into the intermediate sprint. After the attackers were caught, Wout van Aert, working together with teammate Filippo Fiorelli and others, guided the American into the perfect position for the sprint. Jorgenson finished it off expertly.

Shortly afterward, the leader safely crossed the finish line on the Adriatic coast, securing second place in the overall standings of the Italian stage race. “Of course I came here to win, but I’m also very happy with the second place. Isaac Del Toro was the strongest rider this week, and you have to be honest about that.”

“I really have to thank my teammates as well. We took the initiative today, and it paid off. After all the hard work from the team, I simply couldn’t afford to miss out on the intermediate sprint. Luckily, I didn’t”, Jorgenson says with relief.

Sports director Jesper Mørkøv calls it a successful week. “We rode several strong stages and always kept our goal of the general classification in mind. The fact that Matteo finished second in the final classification thanks to strong teamwork makes it even better. I can only be satisfied.”