WorldTour pro Matteo Jorgenson leads the seven-rider roster for Team USA at the second edition of the Maryland Cycling Classic, presented by UnitedHealthcare, on Sunday, September 3.
The 24-year-old Movistar rider from Boise, Idaho had a breakout GC victory at the Tour of Oman to begin his season. He went on to finish eighth overall at Paris-Nice, second overall at Tour de Romandie and third on stage 12 of the Tour de France.
Jorgenson will be joined by U23 road race National Champion Owen Cole (Velocious Sport), US Pro criterium silver medalist Colby Simmons (Jumbo-Visma development) and Caleb Classen (Team California), who was fifth on GC at Tour of the Gila and sixth on GC at Joe Martin Stage Race while also earning the best young rider jersey at both races.
There are two riders from the Aevolo programme – Toby Klein, who earned the bronze medal in the U23 road race nationals, and Brooks Wienke, who was third in the youth classification at Tour of the Gila. Rounding out the roster is Andrew Strohmeyer (Kelly Benefits Strategies Cycling), who finished in the top 10 at the elite men’s amateur road race nationals.
“We are very excited about the team we are bringing to Maryland Cycling Classic. This race has been a big target for us, as it is the biggest race in the United States. Our team will be comprised of both youth and experienced riders,” said Tanner Putt, road director for USA Cycling.
“I’m really excited about the prospect of our U23 riders racing with Matteo, who came up through the USA Cycling development pathway. His presence will play a pivotal role in aiding our young riders as they continue their development to professional racing.“
A total of 16 teams will take part in the UCI ProSeries one-day men’s race, with Team USA competing against five WorldTour squads and four ProTeams. The Maryland Cycling Classic features a 121.9-mile (196km) route that starts in Sparks, Maryland and finishes with circuits in Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor.
The last time Jorgenson raced in the US was in 2018 as part of the Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis squad, finishing in the top 20 at the Colorado Classic and winning the silver medal at US Nationals in the U23 time trial.
“My next race should be Maryland Cycling Classic with the USA Cycling national team which I’m pumped for!! I have yet to race as a professional in my own country and it will be cool to race in the [national] jersey in the only pro race left in the USA,” Jorgenson wrote on social media in early August.
Jorgenson will face off in Maryland against compatriot Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), who was third overall in the race last year. Powless and Jorgenson are the highest-ranked US road riders in the UCI world rankings headed into September, Powless 16th and Jorgenson 38th.
Both Jorgenson and Powless rode the Tour de France this year, Jorgenson finished fourth on a mountain stage finish to Puy de Dôme on stage 9 and followed that three stages later with a podium finish, taking third place, on a hilly ride to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. Powless was sixth on the climb to Puy de Dôme, and made it to Paris with fourth place in the mountains classification.
Jorgenson, on the other hand, withdrew after stage 15 due to an injury to a thigh muscle. He called his withdrawal from the Tour “forced rest”, which turned into several weeks for his hamstring to heal and also caused him to pull off Team USA for Road Worlds in Scotland. The US event will be his first event back.
The Idaho native will complete his fourth season with Movistar this year and moves to Jumbo-Visma in 2024 for the next three seasons.
Team USA roster
- Caleb Classen, 21
- Owen Cole, 19
- Matteo Jorgenson, 24
- Toby Klein, 19
- Colby Simmons, 19
- Andrew Strohmeyer, 21
- Brooks Wineke, 20
