Matthew Stephens (cyclist)

Matthew Stephens (cyclist)
Matthew Stephens (born 4 January 1970) is a British former professional road racing cyclist, who rode as a professional between 1998 and 2011.
Biography
As a junior rider, Stephens won the Junior Tour of Wales in both 1987 and 1988, one of only two riders to win the race twice. He represented Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, finishing 61st in the road race. Stephens finished 8th in the Amateur World Road Race Championships in 1995, forming part of a break on the second lap of the race alongside eventual winner Danny Nelissen and earning Team GB their squad for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 (automatic qualification for the Games was restricted to nations with finishers in the top 15 of the 1995 World Championships). However, he was not selected for the Olympic Road Race team that year. He became the British National Road Race Champion in 1998. After this he turned professional with the British-based Harrods team in 1998, before riding for the Linda McCartney Racing Team in 1999 until their demise in February 2001. During the 2000 3-week Giro d'Italia race he battled through with injuries from a fall, earning media admiration. He rode for Sigma Sport between 2001 and 2011, acting as rider/manager from 2010 onwards. He combined his racing at Sigma Sport with a career in the police with Cheshire Constabulary, which he joined in 2001. A broken knee in the 2011 Paris-Troyes ended his racing career.
Since retiring from racing, he has written for various websites as well as being the 'specialist' on ITV4's Halfords Tour Series and Tour of Britain coverage, and commentating on live races for British Cycling's Premier Calendar and Eurosport. He also worked as a presenter for Global Cycling Network, a YouTube channel backed by Shift Active Media. On 24 April 2018, he announced on the weekly Global Cycling Network (GCN) show that he would leave GCN, shifting his focus to race commentary work and live events. Since 2018, he has presented "Matt Stephens Cafe Ride" for the Sigma Sports Youtube Channel. During these episodes he interviews a figure from the world of cycling during a cycle ride and "cafe stop"
Major results
1987
1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales
1988
1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales
1st Overall National Junior Road Series
1989
1st Hessen Rundfahrt
1993
1st Overall Tour of the Peak
1994
3rd National Amateur Criterium Championships
1995
1st Tom Simpson Memorial
3rd Rás Tailteann
7th Road race, UCI Road World Amateur Championships
1997
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
1998
1st Road race, National Road Championships
2nd Havant International GP
3rd Overall Tour of Greece
1999
1st Tom Simpson Memorial
4th Road race, National Road Championships
2000
2nd Overall Tour of the Cotswolds
4th Overall Tour de Langkawi
4th Road race, National Road Championships
8th Overall Tour Down Under
Giro d'Italia (withdrew)
2001
1st Manx Trophy
3rd Lincoln International GP
3rd Tour of the Peak
2002
2nd Neil Gardner Memorial
2003
3rd Havant International GP
1st Overall Tour of Northumberland
3rd Stage 2
2006
1st Worcester St Johns RR
3rd Overall Tour of the Reservoir
3rd Rydale GP
2007
3rd East Yorkshire Classic Roadrace
2008
4th Grand Prix of Wales
2009
7th Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic
2010
2nd Dumfries Bike Fest Grand
9th East Yorkshire Classic
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
References
External links
"Matt Stephens Cafe Ride" at Sigma Sports Youtube
1970 births
Living people
British male cyclists
English male cyclists
Cyclists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Olympic cyclists for Great Britain
British cycling road race champions
People from Edgware
Sportspeople from the London Borough of Barnet
Cycling announcers