Winter conditions, but Jorgenson felt in control: "As much as that’s possible in a snow-covered ski resort"

It was not easy in the freezing cold, but Matteo Jorgenson maintained his position in the shortened queen stage of Paris-Nice. The American finished safely in the group of favorites and kept the yellow jersey. His lead over the first competitors in the rankings seems relatively safe, but he is watching out for the always difficult final stage towards his beloved Nice.

The cool guy from Visma | Lease a Bike got straight to the point at the start of the flash interview. "Paris-Nice is not over until it's over," he grinned. "The last weekend is always stressful, and I was ready for it, and we prepared well. It wasn't an easy day, but it was better than yesterday," said Jorgenson, who also secured his leader's jersey after Friday's echelon stage in dramatic circumstances.

The queen stage had been shortened, but the finish would be challenging, with snow and cold. But the 25-year-old man from Walnut Creek was buzzing with confidence as the kilometers progressed toward the ski resort of Auron. "I felt in control, as far as you can be in control in a snow-covered ski resort. I think I was suffering a lot, just like everyone else. But I felt I had things under control."

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Losing the yellow jersey on the final day? "Seen it happen often enough"

With a 37-second lead over Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), it seems sufficient for the overall victory. "I think so, yes. Tomorrow will be very stressful, as always. A lot can happen. All I can say is that I know the stage perfectly. I know all the roads; I train here every day. So I am as well prepared as possible, but I have seen it happen often enough that the yellow jersey is lost on the last day," he refers to his attack in last year's final stage, where he took the overall victory. Tomorrow, he can win the Race to the Sun for the second time in a row.

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