Michael Matthews began 2024 with a win at Ruta de la Cerámica-Gran Premio Castellón on Sunday, indicating he has reset and rebuilt after a rollercoaster 2023 season crammed with sickness, crashes and private disappointment.
The 33-year-old Australian will share management at Jayco-AlUla in 2024 with Simon Yates, Dylan Groenwegen and new signings Caleb Ewan and Luke Plapp, and he is satisfied that spreading the load or staff management may be good for him and his teammates.
“In the long run, for our staff, we simply want wins. And I feel wins deliver extra wins. If we’re profitable in a number of completely different areas that’s solely a bonus for the staff,” Matthews instructed Cyclingnews with a easy however logical philosophy.
“I feel having a number of leaders is the important thing to having a profitable staff. It is the way in which biking goes nowadays – the racing is so open and a number of various things can occur in your race, and I feel having completely different choices is certainly the important thing to success.
“So the arrival of the brand new guys would not do something to me personally. I feel it solely brings our staff as much as one other stage. If we have now a quicker man than me in our staff, I can do an superior lead out for them and we are able to race collectively and provides us completely different strategic choices.”
Matthews focused the Tour Down Underneath in 2023 however a visit house to Australia began a sequence of misfortune, crashes and issues that have been exacerbated by two bouts of COVID-19.
This 12 months he opted to spend his winter in Europe.
“This has been a a lot smoother begin to the 12 months, with out the identical issues. My entire offseason has been a lot nicer to arrange for the season,” he defined from Jayco-AlUla’s coaching camp in Spain.
The camp follows a weekend of success that noticed Dylan Groenwegen additionally win the opening Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 race. The solar is out in Spain and Matthews was upbeat.
“We threw these races in simply to kind of break up the coaching camp a bit bit and to have successful out and see how the low season has gone. It appears to have gone rather well…” he mentioned.
Matthews is nicknamed Bling for his success, his showmanship and his love for jewelry and quick automobiles. But he’s additionally an introspective and delicate soul, who dedicates his life to racing. He can rejoice huge victories but additionally suffers in defeat, his feelings typically pouring out.
“Anybody that’s near me is aware of how a lot I put into the game. Biking is my world,” Matthews confided to Cyclingnews. “I reside right here in Europe, with my household, away from my shut household, who’re all in Australia, mates, the whole lot.
“It’s important to quit the whole lot you could have in Australia to be right here in Europe to try to obtain your goals within the sport that you simply love. That is not simple.
“So once I do get a win, it is further particular as a result of I understand how a lot I’ve put into it. That is why I let my feelings out whether or not I win or lose. It is due to how a lot of my life that I put into the game.”
Matthew’s dedication has helped him overcome disappointment and savour success 12 months after 12 months since he received the under-23 world title in Australia in 2010.
His palmarès consists of 4 phases on the Tour de France and the inexperienced factors jersey in 2017. He has received a number of WorldTour Classics and has come shut in numerous Monuments, just for crashes, moments of misfortune, twists of destiny or just stronger rivals to beat him. But he retains preventing again.
“Sadly, it appears to be the story of my profession. I’ve quite a lot of setbacks after which I bounce again in a very great way, which is sweet. Nevertheless it’d be good to not have so many setbacks,” Matthews mentioned, nonetheless capable of see his glass half full.
“When you take a look at my outcomes, this from final 12 months, it seems to be like certainly one of my worst seasons however if you happen to think about all of the stuff that occurred alongside the way in which, I continued bouncing again to a very excessive stage, which exhibits how a lot effort and time I put into the game.
“By the top of the season, I used to be mentally and bodily darkish and I could not I could not do extra. So I actually stepped away from my bike and simply loved resting. It means I’ve began this season way more motivated and mentally and bodily contemporary. I got here again on the bike smiling and having fun with myself. Now I am simply specializing in this 12 months.”
‘I am positive I am going to get my probability in an enormous Basic ultimately’
Matthews will once more goal the spring Classics after which concentrate on the Paris Olympic Video games, with a choice on driving the Giro d’Italia or Tour de France depending on the 2 and on Jayco-AlUla’s different ambitions.
“The Olympics are positively an enormous purpose. Firstly, to make the staff after which secondly, to do a high end result,” he mentioned. “I’ve by no means executed the Olympics in order that will probably be one thing particular. It appears the course actually fits me properly, in order that’ll positively be an enormous purpose.
“I feel the Paris course fits my fashion of driving, that aggressive fashion. With simply 90 or so riders and small groups, it is going to be a bit bit much less predictable, which I actually appreciated.”
After all, chronologically the Classics come first. Matthews’ vary of means means he’s suited to a lot of them, from Milan-San Remo to La Flèche Wallonne. He has high podiums on the latter to his title, plus a fourth and sixth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Flanders and a wealth of high 10s within the Ardennes.
“It might be good to try to do my factor this 12 months within the Classics. Final 12 months I obtained COVID-19 at Pais-Good and crashed out on the Tour of Flanders, wrecking the remainder of my spring,” Matthews recollects, hoping for a flip in his fortunes and the performances of his shut buddy, Monaco neighbour, and frequent coaching accomplice Tadej Pogačar.
“Tadej and the brand new era of riders have modified the racing since I began as knowledgeable, all of the racing has modified,” Matthews added in admiration.
Because of his quick end, Matthews can race a bit extra defensively and anticipate the dash however is aware of he has to adapt to the present development of aggressive racing.
“They race that approach, attacking with 100km to go, as a result of that is what fits them. if you happen to allow them to trip their race, then you definately’re in all probability going to lose so you might want to go differently,” he identified.
“I simply must concentrate on my race and ensure I am, I am racing my race to not racing their race. They’ve began the races earlier and earlier now to attempt to make riders like me do further work. However I am coaching for that, too. So hopefully, it really works out. I am positive I am going to get my probability in an enormous Basic ultimately.”