Jorgenson went "beyond his limit" during Pogacar's attack, Kelderman shows good form in Emilia

No one could match Tadej Pogacar in the Giro dell'Emilia on Saturday, not even Visma | Lease a Bike. However, in the form of Matteo Jorgenson, they put up a brave fight. The American chased solo behind cycling miracle Pogacar for a while but ultimately paid the price for his effort. Wilco Kelderman, finishing in seventh place, was the best of the killer bees.

The riders had to conquer the brutally steep San Luca climb in Bologna five times. As if that wasn't hard enough, they were also drenched by a downpour, turning the race into a true battle of attrition. It began early when Tadej Pogacar broke away solo on the first of five climbs up San Luca after countering an attack from Remco Evenepoel. Jorgenson managed to hang on to the Slovenian for a bit, but that was the extent of it.

"The course itself was already tough, but the rain made it extra challenging today," said team leader Marc Reef on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike, speaking on the team’s website. "We were in a great position at the crucial moments. Wilco and Matteo were both alert when the peloton split after 150 kilometers. Matteo tried to follow Pogacar on San Luca, but he pushed just beyond his limit, which he couldn’t fully recover from." Jorgenson ultimately finished in seventeenth place.

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Kelderman best rider on behalf of Visma | Lease a Bike

"It was a fair and honest race," Reef continued. "Given the strength of the field, we knew it would be difficult to compete for the win. We certainly gave it our best shot, but ultimately every rider ended up where they belonged. With his seventh place, Wilco showed that his form is good." Visma | LaB will race two more events before we reach the pinnacle of the Italian autumn cycling calendar, the Tour of Lombardy. On Monday, they will race in the Coppa Bernocchi, which was won last year by Wout van Aert. On Tuesday, the Dutch team will be at the start of Tre Valli Varesine.