Boise High grad, in middle of ‘fantastic season,’ is back in the Tour de France

The 2024 Tour de France begins Saturday with the Grand Départ in Florence, Italy.

Only three Americans are in this year’s field, but the Gem State will be represented in that elite group.

Boise High graduate Matteo Jorgenson will compete in his third Tour de France for Team Visma - Lease a Bike, which is headlined by two-time reigning Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard.

Jorgenson finished 20th overall in his 2022 debut but was forced to withdraw from the 2023 race after 15 stages while sitting in 48th place, second among all riders from the U.S, because of a hamstring injury he sustained in a crash.

He earned his first podium finish at the Tour de France last year, taking third in stage 12 from Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais in the Rhone.

Since signing with Visma in the offseason, Jorgenson has won two races this year, taking the Dwars door Vlaanderen, a one-day road race in Belgium, and the eight-day Paris-Nice.

“Until this year, I never would have thought this was possible, but here we are,” Jorgenson told Bicycling.com after Paris-Nice. “It couldn’t have gone any better today and the whole week. I could barely sleep last night. I was so nervous. For the first time, I felt the pressure. To win and to ride with a champion like (Belgian cyclist) Remco (Evenepoel) is a special moment.”

While Jorgenson will ride in support of teammate Vingegaard, he was given high praise by Visma Sportive Director Merijn Zeeman.

“I really believe that Matteo Jorgenson will be a very good rider in the future. He will have a chance to win the Tour de France in his career as well but he is still developing,” Zeeman told Cyclingnews.com.

“He has had a fantastic season. But tactically, of course, we will use our numbers as well. That’s very clear. But also, the reality is that Jonas is, at this moment, our rider that can win the Tour de France.”

Jorgenson will be pulling a major double-double this summer, as he was selected to represent the United States on its road cycling team at the Paris Olympics. It will be his Olympic debut.

The Tour de France runs through July 21, finishing in Nice rather than Paris because of the Olympics. At the Paris Olympics, the men’s time trial is scheduled for July 27, and the men’s road race is Aug. 3. Jorgenson will not compete in the time trial.

“The Olympics were always a part of my childhood. I remember spending entire summers watching sports I had never heard of and admiring the athletes,” Jorgenson said in a news release from USA Cycling.

“For sure it had a big effect on me and was one of the reasons I decided to pursue a career as a pro athlete. Being able to race in Paris, especially following the best year of my career, is a dream come true.”