Michael Matthews (cyclist)

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Michael Matthews
Matthews at the 2017 Tour de France
Personal information
Full nameMichael James Matthews
NicknameBling
Born (1990-09-26) 26 September 1990 (age 33)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Weight72 kg (159 lb; 11 st 5 lb)
Team information
Current teamTeam Jayco–AlUla
Disciplines
  • Road
  • Track
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Puncheur
Professional teams
2010Team Jayco–Skins
2011–2012Rabobank
2013–2016Orica–GreenEDGE[2]
2017–2020Team Sunweb[3][4]
2021–Team BikeExchange
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Points classification (2017)
4 individual stages (2016, 2017, 2022)
Giro d'Italia
3 individual stages (2014, 2015, 2023)
2 TTT stages (2014, 2015)
Vuelta a España
3 individual stages (2013, 2014)

One-day races and Classics

GP de Québec (2018, 2019)
GP de Montreal (2018)
Bretagne Classic (2020)
Clásica de Almería (2012)

Other

UCI Oceania Tour (2009–10)
Medal record
Men's road bicycle racing
Representing  Australia
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Geelong Under-23 road race
Silver medal – second place 2015 Richmond Elite road race
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Bergen Elite road race
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Wollongong Elite road race
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Wollongong Mixed team relay
Representing Orica–Scott
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Doha Team time trial
Representing Team Sunweb
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Bergen Team time trial
Silver medal – second place 2018 Innsbruck Team time trial

Michael James Matthews (born 26 September 1990) is an Australian professional road and track cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Team Jayco–AlUla.[5]

Career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Michael Matthews pushing the break. Vikings Cycling Club SuperCrits. 13 November 2008.
Matthews (leading) during a criterium race in 2008

He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder,[6] and in 2010 he became the Under 23 Road Race World Champion.[7]

Matthews left Rabobank at the end of the 2012 season, and joined Orica–GreenEDGE on an initial two-year contract from the 2013 season.[2]

Orica–GreenEDGE (2013–2016)[edit]

Matthews wearing the pink jersey at the 2014 Giro d'Italia

Matthews was selected to ride the 2014 Giro d'Italia. His Orica–GreenEDGE team won the opening team time trial in Belfast. On Stage 2, Matthews finished eighth behind Marcel Kittel in a sprint finish, also in Belfast, to take the pink jersey for the leader of the general classification from teammate Svein Tuft. Matthews won Stage 6, a hill top finish at Monte Cassino. Matthews withdrew from the Giro after Stage 10 after suffering a crash on Stage 9.[8]

In 2015, Matthews won the points classification jersey of Paris–Nice as well as a stage. He finished in third place in Milan–San Remo.[9] He also met success at the opening stage of the Tour of the Basque Country by outsprinting a group of about fifty riders after a hilly day.[10] He then went on to a second place in the Brabantse Pijl, winning the sprint of the group after nearly getting to lone escapee Ben Hermans.[11] At the Amstel Gold Race, Matthews grabbed another notable result, when he came in third of the final dash for the line while being part of a small leading group.[12] At the Tour de Suisse, Matthews won stage 4 after following Peter Sagan's wheel in the sprint and passing him in the final metres.[13] He was named in the start list for the Tour de France.[14]

In the 2016 Tour de France, Matthews out-sprinted a breakaway group of 7 riders to win stage 10, his first stage win in the Tour de France, completing a set of Grand Tour stage victories.[15]

In August 2016, it was confirmed that Matthews would join Team Sunweb for the 2017 season.[16]

Team Sunweb (2017–2020)[edit]

Matthews wearing the green jersey at the 2017 Tour de France

Matthews was expected to contend for the points classification at the 2017 Tour de France, and his chances were boosted on Stage 4 after an incident during the final sprint which saw Mark Cavendish forced out of the race through injury and Peter Sagan, winner of the classification in the previous 5 Tours, disqualified.[17][18] Matthews won Stage 14, a reduced peloton uphill sprint finish at Rodez.[19] On Stage 16, the high pace set by Matthews' Team Sunweb dropped the green jersey wearer Kittel; Matthews, who was second to Kittel in points classification, won the stage.[20] On Stage 17, Kittel crashed and withdrew from the Tour, putting Matthews in the green jersey.[21] Matthews retained the jersey to Paris.

In 2018 he won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec ahead of Greg Van Avermaet and Jasper Stuyven,[22] before adding the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal two days later, which he won ahead of Sonny Colbrelli and Van Avermaet.[23] As a result, he became the second rider to win both Laurentian classic races in the same year, after compatriot Simon Gerrans in 2014.[24] In 2019, he won two stages at the Volta a Catalunya,[25][26] before repeating his victory in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.[27]

He finished 3rd in the 2020 Milan-San Remo and late in the year he took a top 10 in the UCI World Championships road race. A month earlier he won the 2020 Bretagne Classic Ouest–France, which was one of the few races that was run at its normal time during the COVID pandemic.

Team BikeExchange-Jayco[edit]

Michael Matthews representing Australia at the UCI Men's Elite Road Race in Wollongong 2022 where he finished 3rd
Michael Matthews representing Australia in Wollongong 2022

In August 2020, Matthews signed a two-year contract with Mitchelton–Scott, later renamed as Team BikeExchange, from the 2021 season.[28]

In 2021 he had some strong results but no major wins, including 4th at the Amstel Gold Race, 5th in Gent–Wevelgem and 6th in Milan–San Remo. He rode Le Tour, but did not win any stages. He finished 2nd in the points classification, the second highest finish of his career, losing to Mark Cavendish 337–291.

In 2022 he had top 10 finishes in Brabantse Pijl, the Amstel Gold Race and 2022 Milan-San Remo. He won the first stage at the Volta a Catalunya, his first victory with Team BikeExchange.[29] This victory was overshadowed as it was the stage where one of his primary rivals, Sonny Colbrelli, had a near fatal heart attack after crossing the finish line.[30] In June he won the black jersey during the COVID marred 2022 Tour de Suisse. During the 2022 Tour de France he suffered two defeats in back to back stages; finishing 2nd to his friend Tadej Pogačar, and then the next day to rival Wout Van Aert. On stage 14 he got involved in a breakaway and survived to the final climb outlasting all of the breakaway riders except Alberto Bettiol. It looked as though he was about to be defeated again, when he appeared to suffer from cramps and Bettiol rode away from him on the final climb. Matthews was able to recover, catch and drop Bettiol, and solo to the line for his first Tour win this decade.[31]

In the 2023 Giro d'Italia Matthews won Stage 3 ahead of Mads Pederson in a bunch sprint.[32] It was his first stage win at the Giro since 2015.

Personal life[edit]

In August 2015, he married his Slovak girlfriend Katarína Hajzer.[33]

Career achievements[edit]

Major results[edit]

2008
1st John Woodman Memorial
Internazionale Bresciana
1st Points classification
1st Prologue & Stage 3b (ITT)
1st Stage 7 Tour of the Murray River
2nd Overall GP Général Patton
1st Stage 2
8th Road race, UCI Junior World Championships
2009
Oceania Road Championships (November)
1st Road race
1st Under-23 road race
1st Under-23 time trial
2nd Time trial, Oceania Under-23 Road Championships (February)
National Under-23 Road Championships
2nd Road race
3rd Time trial
2nd Gran Premio della Liberazione
9th Overall Tour of Japan
2010 (2 pro wins)
1st Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
Tour de Langkawi
1st Stages 1 & 3
1st Stage 1 (TTT) Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23
2nd Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza
2nd Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften
2nd Gran Premio della Liberazione
National Under-23 Road Championships
3rd Road race
3rd Time trial
4th Overall Tour of Japan
1st Stage 1 (ITT)
5th Overall Tour of Wellington
1st Stage 4
7th Overall Ringerike GP
1st Stages 2 & 3
8th Overall Tour de l'Avenir
2011 (3)
1st Rund um Köln
1st Stage 2 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic
1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Murcia
3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
3rd Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop
4th Overall Tour Down Under
1st Stage 3
5th Overall Delta Tour Zeeland
6th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
2012 (2)
1st Clásica de Almería
Tour of Utah
1st Sprints classification
1st Stage 3
9th Overall Tour Down Under
10th Brabantse Pijl
2013 (4)
Vuelta a España
1st Stages 5 & 21
Held after Stages 6 & 7
Tour of Utah
1st Sprints classification
1st Stages 2 & 4
National Road Championships
2nd Road race
3rd Time trial
2nd Vuelta a La Rioja
2014 (5)
1st Vuelta a La Rioja
Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 6
Held after Stages 2–7
Held after Stages 2–7
Held after Stages 6 & 7
Vuelta a España
1st Stage 3
Held after Stages 3–5
Held after Stage 4
Tour of Slovenia
1st Points classification
1st Stage 1 (ITT)
1st Stage 3 Tour of the Basque Country
2nd Brabantse Pijl
6th Trofeo Ses Salines
7th Trofeo Palma
2015 (5)
Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 3
Held after Stages 2–3
Held after Stages 1–3
Paris–Nice
1st Points classification
1st Stage 3
Tour of Alberta
1st Points classification
1st Stage 2
1st Stage 1 Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stage 4 Tour de Suisse
2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
2nd Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
2nd Brabantse Pijl
3rd Milan–San Remo
3rd Amstel Gold Race
Combativity award Stage 5 Tour de France
2016 (4)
1st Vuelta a La Rioja
1st Stage 10 Tour de France
Paris–Nice
1st Points classification
1st Prologue & Stage 2
UCI Road World Championships
3rd Team time trial
4th Road race
3rd London–Surrey Classic
4th Bretagne Classic
4th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
5th Brabantse Pijl
5th Amstel Gold Race
5th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
2017 (4)
UCI Road World Championships
1st Team time trial
3rd Road race
Tour de France
1st Points classification
1st Stages 14 & 16
1st Stage 1 Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stage 3 Tour de Suisse
3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
3rd London–Surrey Classic
4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
5th Bretagne Classic
8th Gent–Wevelgem
8th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
9th UCI World Tour
10th Amstel Gold Race
2018 (4)
1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
1st Prologue Tour de Romandie
2nd Team time trial, UCI Road World Championships
2nd Overall BinckBank Tour
1st Stage 7
2nd Eschborn–Frankfurt
4th Bretagne Classic
5th La Flèche Wallonne
7th UCI World Tour
7th Milan–San Remo
2019 (3)
1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
Volta a Catalunya
1st Points classification
1st Stages 2 & 6
4th Brabantse Pijl
6th Tour of Flanders
8th La Flèche Wallonne
2020 (1)
1st Bretagne Classic
3rd Milan–San Remo
7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
2021
4th Amstel Gold Race
5th Gent–Wevelgem
6th Milan–San Remo
6th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
9th Eschborn–Frankfurt
2022 (2)
Tour de France
1st Stage 14
Combativity award Stage 14
1st Stage 1 Volta a Catalunya
1st Points classification, Tour de Suisse
2nd Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
UCI Road World Championships
3rd Road race
3rd Team relay
4th Milan–San Remo
4th Trofeo Pollença–Port d'Andratx
6th Trofeo Alcúdia–Port d'Alcúdia
6th Trofeo Playa de Palma
7th Amstel Gold Race
7th Brabantse Pijl
2023 (1)
1st Stage 3 Giro d'Italia
1st Sprints classification, Tour Down Under
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
4th Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
4th Trofeo Matteotti
2024 (1)
1st Gran Premio Castellón
2nd Milan–San Remo

Grand Tour record[edit]

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Giro d'Italia DNS-11 DNS-14 DNS-10 63
Stages won 1 1 0 1
Points classification 3
Tour de France 152 110 69 DNS-5 67 79 77
Stages won 0 1 2 0 0 0 1
Points classification 73 3 1 5 2 8
Vuelta a España 110 75 70
Stages won 2 1 0
Points classification 9 6 7
Legend
1 Winner
2–3 Top three-finish
4–10 Top ten-finish
11– Other finish
DNE Did not enter
DNF-x Did not finish (retired on stage x)
DNS-x Did not start (not started on stage x)
HD Finished outside time limit (occurred on stage x)
DSQ Disqualified
N/A Race/classification not held
NR Not ranked in this classification

Classics results timeline[edit]

Monument 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Milan–San Remo 107 78 3 59 12 7 12 3 6 4 2
Tour of Flanders 6 21 11 DNF
Paris–Roubaix NH
Liège–Bastogne–Liège 128 4 63 35 19 DNF
Giro di Lombardia DNF DNF DNF
Classic 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad DNF DNF 12
E3 Harelbeke 13 NH DNF DNF
Gent–Wevelgem 69 8 13 5 62
Brabantse Pijl DNF 10 2 2 5 11 4 DNF 7
Amstel Gold Race DNF 12 3 5 10 24 16 NH 4 7
La Flèche Wallonne 112 DNF 21 67 5 8 21 DNS
Clásica de San Sebastián DNF 55 NH
Bretagne Classic 134 48 4 5 4 14 1 27 12
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec DNF 2 5 3 1 1 Not held 2 3
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal 71 19 4 8 1 19 13 26

Awards[edit]

  • 2017 – Sir Hubert Opperman Trophy (Australian Cyclist of the Year), Men's Elite Road Cyclist of the Year and the People's Choice Award.[34]
  • 2017 – ACT Sport Male Athlete of the Year.[35]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Michael Matthews - Team Sunweb". Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b Benson, Daniel (15 August 2012). "Michael Matthews signs for Orica-GreenEdge". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Team Sunweb confirm 2019 men's and women's rosters". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Team Sunweb". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  5. ^ "GreenEDGE Cycling". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  6. ^ AIS Athletes at 2010 Commonwealth Games Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Australia's Matthews grabs home turf title
  8. ^ "Matthews withdraws from the Giro d'Italia". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Results: 2015 Milano-Sanremo". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  10. ^ "Matthews wins Pais Vasco opener". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Hermans holds off pack for Brabantse Pijl win". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Kwiatkowski sprints to first victory in rainbow jersey in Amstel Gold Race". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  13. ^ Stuart Clarke (16 June 2015). "Michael Matthews wins stage four of the Tour de Suisse as crash delays Thomas". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  14. ^ "2015 Tour de France start list". Velo News. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  15. ^ "Tour de France 2016: Michael Matthews pips Peter Sagan to clinch 'dream' stage win". Talksport. Wireless Group. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2021. Matthews has now won stages in all three Grand Tours.
  16. ^ "Michael Matthews move to Giant-Alpecin confirmed". Cycling Central. Special Broadcasting Service. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  17. ^ Fotheringham, William (4 July 2017). "Mark Cavendish out of Tour and Peter Sagan disqualified after horror crash". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  18. ^ Robertshaw, Henry (4 July 2017). "Peter Sagan disqualified from Tour de France". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  19. ^ Westemeyer, Susan (15 July 2017). "Tour de France: Matthews wins in Rodez as Froome moves into yellow". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  20. ^ "Tour de France 2017: Chris Froome retains lead as Michael Matthews takes second win". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  21. ^ Benson, Daniel (18 July 2017). "Tour de France: Matthews wins stage 16". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  22. ^ Frattini, Kirsten (7 September 2018). "Matthews wins GP de Québec". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  23. ^ Benson, Daniel (9 September 2018). "Matthews wins Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  24. ^ Lee, Aaron S. (10 September 2018). "Matthews back to his best after winning WorldTour weekend". Cycling Central. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  25. ^ Ballinger, Alex (26 March 2019). "Michael Matthews sails to victory on stage two of Volta a Catalunya 2019". Cycling Weekly. TI Media. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  26. ^ Puddicombe, Stephen (30 March 2019). "Michael Matthews edges out Phil Bauhaus to win stage six of Volta a Catalunya 2019". Cycling Weekly. TI Media. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  27. ^ Long, Jonny (14 September 2019). "Michael Matthews beats Peter Sagan to claim GP de Québec 2019". Cycling Weekly. TI Media. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Mitchelton-Scott announce Michael Matthews' return". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  29. ^ Fletcher, Patrick (21 March 2022). "Volta a Catalunya: Michael Matthews secures first win for BikeExchange on stage 1". Cycling News. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  30. ^ Fotheringham, Alisdair (27 April 2022). "Colbrelli cleared to get back on bike as heart condition improves:Italian will resume leisure rides, says Bahrain Victorious". Cycling News. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  31. ^ "michael-matthews-wins-stage-14-tour-de-france-jonas-vingegaard-remains-overall-leader". ESPN. Associated Press. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  32. ^ Ostanek, Daniel (8 May 2023). "Giro d'Italia: Michael Matthews claims stage 3 in uphill sprint". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  33. ^ Smith, Sophie (8 August 2015). "Bling hopes for Sweet Virginia". SBS Sport. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  34. ^ Polkinghorne, David (17 November 2017). "Tour de France star Michael Matthews wins triple crown at Cycling Australia awards". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  35. ^ Dutton, Chris (1 December 2017). "Caroline Buchanan, Michael Matthews, Schoolboy rugby big winners at ACT sport awards". Canberra Times. Retrieved 1 December 2017.

External links[edit]