# Michael Matthews (cyclist)

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

## Career
### Early career

He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, and in 2010 he became the Under 23 Road Race World Champion.
Matthews left Rabobank at the end of the 2012 season, and joined Orica–GreenEDGE on an initial two-year contract from the 2013 season.

### Orica–GreenEDGE (2013–2016)

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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. He was named in the start list for the Tour de France.
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.
In August 2016, it was confirmed that Matthews would join Team Sunweb for the 2017 season.

### Team Sunweb (2017–2020)

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. Matthews won Stage 14, a reduced peloton uphill sprint finish at Rodez. On Stage 16, the high pace set by Matthews's Team Sunweb dropped the green jersey wearer Kittel; Matthews, who was second to Kittel in points classification, won the stage. On Stage 17, Kittel crashed and withdrew from the Tour, putting Matthews in the green jersey. Matthews retained the jersey to Paris.
In 2018 he won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec ahead of Greg Van Avermaet and Jasper Stuyven, before adding the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal two days later, which he won ahead of Sonny Colbrelli and Van Avermaet. As a result, he became the second rider to win both Laurentian classic races in the same year, after compatriot Simon Gerrans in 2014. In 2019, he won two stages at the Volta a Catalunya, before repeating his victory in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
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

In August 2020, Matthews signed a two-year contract with Mitchelton–Scott, later renamed as Team BikeExchange, from the 2021 season.
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. 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. 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.
In the 2023 Giro d'Italia Matthews won Stage 3 ahead of Mads Pederson in a bunch sprint. It was his first stage win at the Giro since 2015.

## Personal life

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

## Career achievements
### Major results
#### 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 Road World Under-23 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 (2)

    1st Team relay, UCI Road World Championships
    1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
    1st Gran Premio Castellón
    2nd Milan–San Remo
    7th Bretagne Classic
    8th Brabantse Pijl
    10th Amstel Gold Race

#### Grand Tour record

| | 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 | — | — |

#### Classics results timeline

| 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 | 11 |
| Paris–Roubaix | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NH | — | — | — | — |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | — | 128 | — | — | — | 4 | 63 | 35 | — | 19 | DNF | — | 36 |
| 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 | — | 8 |
| Amstel Gold Race | — | — | DNF | 12 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 16 | NH | 4 | 7 | — | 10 |
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | — | 112 | — | DNF | 21 | 67 | 5 | 8 | — | 21 | DNS | — | DNF |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | — | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | 55 | — | NH | — | — | — | — |
| Bretagne Classic | 134 | 48 | — | — | — | 4 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 1 | — | 27 | 12 | 7 |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec | — | DNF | — | — | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Not held | Not held | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal | — | 71 | — | — | 19 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 19 | Not held | Not held | 13 | 26 | |
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 |

### Awards

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