BOISE, Idaho — Matteo Jorgenson added another top-10 finish to his breakout season Saturday morning, placing ninth in the men's road race at the Paris Olympics.
The Boise High School graduate joined the likes of Wout van Aert of Belgium and Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands in the second chase group that separated themselves from the main peloton up the cobbles.
Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel ultimately became the first rider to sweep the road race and time trial at the Olympics, dominating on the late climbs. He overcame a flat tire to cross the line alone for gold.
Valentin Madouas claimed silver, while Jorgenson battled for bronze with six others in a sprint finish, but landed in ninth place. The 25-year-old Jorgenson was the top-placing American in the Olympic road race Sunday.
"I had a really good fight. I put myself into position to win the race, but in the end, I got tactically outplayed," Jorgenson said. "There were teams like France, Belgium, and the Netherlands with more numbers and I was in the right moves, but I think none of us worked well together. In the end, I used up a lot of energy in places where it was not necessary then I got attacked at the top … The course was hard, but I enjoyed it a lot. I think they did a good job on the route finding every little climb around Paris… I enjoyed the day.”
Jorgenson recently finished eighth overall in the Tour de France and was the top-placing American, while riding in support of teammate and second-place finisher Jonas Vingegaard. He became the first American to finish in the top 10 in a decade.
The former Boise Young Rider Development Squad (BYRDS) rider also claimed wins at the Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen earlier this year. Jorgenson joined Bobby Julich and Floyd Landis as the only Americans to win the Paris-Nice.
Click here for the full results from the longest Olympic road race in history.
