Jorgenson caught out by 'pure silence' on Puy de Dome

Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) was caught by surprise with 450 metres to go on the ghostly quiet summit of the Puy de Dome in Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France.

Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) rides alone up the Puy de Dome in the final kilometres of Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France. Source: AFP / VINCENT KALUT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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Jorgenson looked set to win his first stage of the Tour de France, but was overtaken by a storming Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) with the finish line almost in sight.

“It was brutal because there were no fans, my radio cut out and so it was pure silence the whole climb, against my own body and my own mind,” Jorgenson said in an interview with Cyclingnews.

Jorgensen had been alone since a solo attack at the 48 kilometres-to-go mark. Then, with four kilometres to go, he lost the crowd as company as well.

Spectators were banned from the narrow roads to the summit of the extinct volcano which served as the Stage 9 finish, leaving the 24-year-old sharing the tarmac with minimal support vehicles as he pushed toward the summit.

When Jorgenson's radio stopped working it added to the eerie silence of the final climb.

“I didn’t know the time gaps or anything, so when Mike Woods came past me, he scared me a little bit. I barely heard his chain when he came past me and it scared me. Then I was done," Jorgenson said.

Jorgenson was forced to settle for fourth place, 36 seconds behind Woods after former breakaway companions Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) snuck in front of the weary American as well.

“It wasn’t really in the plan to go in the break, we thought the GC guys would ride behind. But I found myself there and then you have to kind of look around and make a plan on the fly,” Jorgenson said.

“I knew Woods and Powless would be faster than me uphill, especially on the 12 per cent, 13 per cent part, that’s their territory. So I knew I had to get ahead of them somehow.

"I was hoping we’d gain more time with Mohorič and Campenaerts but with just a minute at the bottom, it was going to be tough.”

Jorgenson held his own until the final torturous kilometre.

“You just have to hope that behind they blow up or whatever," he said.

"As we climbed the mountain my radio stopped working, so the only time gaps I got were from the motorbike. He was telling me a minute, then 40 seconds and then 35 seconds. That was the last one I got with one kilometre to go.

“I started to feel empty and then before I knew it, Mike was there and passing me. It was a surprise but there was absolutely nothing I could do.”

The result marks the third time Jorgenson has finished fourth in a stage of the Tour de France, something he also achieved in Stages 10 and 16 in 2022, He also finished fourth in the Best Young Rider classification that year.

“I’m proud of what I did," Jorgenson said.

"At the end of the day, it didn’t pay off but it will one day.”