BOISE, Idaho — Every athlete's dream is to compete at the highest level of their sport: The Super Bowl, The World Series, The Stanley Cup... the list goes on and the accomplishments made by superior athletes also goes on.
One athlete from Boise is gearing up to compete on cycling's biggest stage - the Tour de France.
23-year-old Matteo Jorgenson will compete in the Tour de France for the second year in a row. Last year, Jorgenson was 21st out of 176 finishers, and even had a couple top-five stage finishes. He reflected on experience in an interview with The 208.
Before the race, his family and friends gathered to raise some support for Jorgenson on the Basque Block in downtown Boise.
"It's exciting, it's a lot of years of hard work on his part, it just makes us so proud," Cheri Jorgenson, Matteo's mom said. "It's super fulfilling for us as parents, knowing that he's fulfilling his dreams."
Dreams that Jorgenson will relive for his second run at the 21-stage, three weeklong race.
"So, I was trying to think of what we could do to make him feel good, and to give him some hometown support," Cheri said.
Before Jorgenson returns to the biggest stage in cycling, his family, friends, and coaches gathered on downtown Boise's Basque Block.
The Tour de France's course changes every year, and this year's route has a unique connection to the Basque Country - as well as Jorgenson's cycling team.
"His team is based in the Basque Country, and this year the Tour starts in the Basque Country," Cheri said.
Jorgen's love for cycling started when he was young, sparked by mountain biking in the Boise foothills. That passion shifted to the roads, where he was coached for more than 11 years by Douglas Tobin, director of BYRDS Cycling.
"He had great bike handling skills, great determination," Tobin said. "By trying to ride with all the older kids, he just got better. He just always improved. You know, he won his first national championship at age 11-12 in cyclo-cross."
Jorgenson has continued winning into his 20's. Earlier this year, he took first overall at the Tour of Oman.
"He's demonstrated in the last few years that he's continued to grow, and continue to develop at that level," Tobin said. "Build the endurance and the strength to race at that level."
A level that Jorgenson has made it to alongside another Boise native - Will Barta, who also races for the Basque-country based Movistar Cycling Team.
"They're just two Boise kids trying to make it big on the World Tour stage, cycling amongst huge cycling fans in Europe," Cheri said.
The 2023 Tour de France starts on July 1, which also happens to be Jorgenson's 24th birthday.
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