Michael James Matthews (born 26 September 1990) is an Australian professional road and track cyclist who currently rides for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

Career

Early career

He was an

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of th ...

scholarship holder, and in 2010 he became the Under 23 Road Race World Champion. Matthews left at the end of the 2012 season, and joined on an initial two-year contract from the 2013 season.

Orica–GreenEDGE (2013–2016)

Matthews was selected to ride the

2014 Giro d'Italia The 2014 Giro d'Italia was the 97th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The race started off in Belfast, on 9 May, with a team time trial and concluded in Trieste, on 1 June, with a flat stage. A total of 198 r ...

. His team won the opening team time trial in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

. 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 The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi- stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumula ...

from teammate Svein Tuft. Matthews won Stage 6, a hill top finish at

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...

. 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 Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlook ...

as well as a stage. He finished in third place in

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is ...

. He also met success at the opening stage of the

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'', es, Vuelta al País Vasco, links=no, eu, Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual road cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races th ...

by outsprinting a group of about fifty riders after a hilly day. He then went on to a second place in the

Brabantse Pijl The Brabantse Pijl ( en, Brabant Arrow, french: italic=yes, Flèche Brabançonne or ''Flèche Branconne'') is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race held annually in Flemish Brabant and in Walloon Brabant, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been o ...

, winning the sprint of the group after nearly getting to lone escapee Ben Hermans. At the

Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic cycle races, classic road bicycle race, road cycling race held in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the Classic cycle races#S ...

, 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 The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

, Matthews won stage 4 after following

Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovakia, Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-c ...

's wheel in the sprint and passing him in the final metres. He was named in the start list for the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

. In the

2016 Tour de France The 2016 Tour de France was the 103rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 2 July in Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, and concluding on 24 July with the Champs-Élysées ...

, 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 for the 2017 season.

Team Sunweb (2017–2020)

Matthews was expected to contend for the points classification at the

2017 Tour de France The 2017 Tour de France was the 104th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The 21-stage race took place across , commencing with an individual time trial in Düsseldorf, Germany on 1 July, and concluding with the Champs- ...

, and his chances were boosted on Stage 4 after an incident during the final sprint which saw

Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a track cyclist he specialises in the madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he is a s ...

forced out of the race through injury and

, winner of the classification in the previous 5 Tours, disqualified. Matthews won Stage 14, a reduced peloton uphill sprint finish at

Rodez Rodez ( or ; oc, Rodés, ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat o ...

. On Stage 16, the high pace set by Matthews' 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 Greg Van Avermaet (born 17 May 1985) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet is a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also ...

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 Simon Gerrans (born 16 May 1980) is an Australian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018, for the , , , , and squads. Post-retirement he initially worked as an athlete intern at Goldman Sachs in ...

in 2014. In 2019, he won two stages at the

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of t ...

, 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

In August 2020, Matthews signed a two-year contract with , later renamed as , from the 2021 season. In 2021 he had some strong results but no major wins, including 4th at the

, 5th in

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late March on the last Sunday before the Tou ...

and 6th in

. 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

337–291. In 2022 he had top 10 finishes in

, the

and 2022 Milan-San Remo. He won the first stage at the

, 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 The 2022 Tour de France was the 109th edition of the Tour de France. It started in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 July 2022 and ended with the final stage on the Champs-Élysées, Paris on 24 July 2022. Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard () won the general clas ...

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 Wout van Aert (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professional road and cyclo-cross racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the men's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He joined in M ...

. 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.

Personal life

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

Career achievements

Major results

;2008 : 1st

John Woodman Memorial The John Woodman Memorial, otherwise known as the Wagga to Albury, is an annual bicycle handicap race that runs between the New South Wales cities of Wagga Wagga and Albury. The event was first run in the 1930s, leaving the Wagga Railway Station ...

: Internazionale Bresciana ::1st Jersey green

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 The UCI Juniors World Championships were a set of UCI World Championships events for junior bicycle cyclists in 2005 to 2009. In 2010 it was divided into: *The Junior men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships *The UCI Juniors Track Worl ...

;2009 : Oceania Road Championships (November) ::1st OceaniaChampionJersey

Road race ::1st OceaniaChampionJersey

Under-23 road race ::1st OceaniaChampionJersey

Under-23 time trial : 2nd Silver medal blank

Time trial, Oceania Under-23 Road Championships (February) : National Under-23 Road Championships ::2nd

Road race Road racing, road race of road racer may refer to: * Road racing in motorsport * Road running on foot * Road bicycle racing * ''Road Race'', initial name of 1976 arcade game ''Fonz'' (video game) * Roadracers (1994 film) * Roadracers (1959 fi ...

::3rd

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

: 2nd

Gran Premio della Liberazione Gran Premio della Liberazione is an Italian road bicycle race that has been held annually on 25 April since 1946. It marks the anniversary of the 1945 fall of Benito Mussolini's Italian Social Republic. It is a Single-day race that is rated 1.2 ...

: 9th Overall

Tour of Japan The Tour of Japan is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Japan since 1996 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as a 2.1 category race. History Tour of Japan was formed ...

;2010 : 1st Jersey rainbow

, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships :

Tour de Langkawi The Tour de Langkawi is a multiple stage bicycle race held in Malaysia. It is named after the archipelago Langkawi, where the first edition started and finished. The race has been held annually since 1996, primarily in February. It usually co ...

::1st Stages 1 & 3 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT) Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 : 2nd

Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza The Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza (also known as Trofeo PIVA) is a professional cycling race held annually in the Province of Vicenza, Italy. It has been part of the UCI Europe Tour since 2005 in category 1.2U, meaning it is reserved for U23 ...

: 2nd Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften : 2nd

: National Under-23 Road Championships ::3rd

::3rd

: 4th Overall

::1st Stage 1 ( ITT) : 5th Overall Tour of Wellington ::1st Stage 4 : 7th Overall

Ringerike GP Ringerike Grand Prix is a road bicycle race held annually near Hønefoss, in the region of Ringerike, Norway. The race was created in 1975 as the Fossen Grand Prix, and was ranked 2.2 The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world's gove ...

::1st Stages 2 & 3 : 8th Overall

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independent ...

;2011 : 1st

Rund um Köln The Rund um Köln is a classic cycling race around the German city of Cologne. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 1.1 race (in 2007 the race was categorised as 1.HC). It is one of the oldest cycling races still run ...

: 1st Stage 2 Jayco Bay Cycling Classic : 1st Stage 1

Vuelta a Murcia The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia ( en, Tour of Murcia) is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs. Originally the race was held in early March and consisted of five stages. However, due ...

: 3rd

, National Road Championships : 3rd

Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop Eschborn–Frankfurt, previously Rund um den Henninger Turm Frankfurt, is an annual Classic cycle races, semi classic cycling race in Germany, starting in Eschborn and finishing in Frankfurt. The event, sometimes referred to as the Frankfurt Grand ...

: 4th Overall

Tour Down Under The Tour Down Under (branded as the Santos Tour Down Under under a partnership arrangement) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and features all 19 UCI World ...

::1st Stage 3 : 5th Overall Delta Tour Zeeland : 6th

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens Grote Prijs Jef Scherens is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after the seven-time professional sprint world ...

;2012 : 1st

Clásica de Almería The Clásica de Almería ( en, Classic of Almería) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in February or March in Almería, Spain, starting and finishing in Almería itself. Established in 1986, the race was run as an amateur event ...

: Tour of Utah ::1st Jersey green

Sprints classification ::1st Stage 3 : 9th Overall

: 10th

;2013 :

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...

::1st Stages 5 & 21 ::Held Jersey green

after Stages 6 & 7 : Tour of Utah ::1st Jersey violet

Sprints classification ::1st Stages 2 & 4 : National Road Championships ::2nd

::3rd

: 2nd

Vuelta a La Rioja The Vuelta a La Rioja ( en, Tour of La Rioja) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race held in La Rioja. From 2005 to 2008, it was a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing compet ...

;2014 : 1st

: Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 6 ::Held Jersey pink

after Stages 2–7 ::Held Jersey white

after Stages 2–7 ::Held Jersey blue

after Stages 6 & 7 :

::1st Stage 3 ::Held Jersey red

after Stages 3–5 ::Held Jersey green

after Stage 4 :

Tour of Slovenia Tour of Slovenia is a stage race cycling race held in Slovenia. Between 2005 and 2018, it was organised as a 2.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour. The 2019 edition was classified as a 2.HC race. It became part of the UCI ProSeries in 2020. Winners ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 1 ( ITT) : 1st Stage 3

: 2nd

: 6th Trofeo Ses Salines : 7th Trofeo Palma ;2015 : Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 3 ::Held Jersey pink

after Stages 2–3 ::Held Jersey white

after Stages 1–3 :

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 3 : Tour of Alberta ::1st Jersey green

Points classification ::1st Stage 2 : 1st Stage 1