Bittersweet Milan-San Remo for Michael Matthews after losing sprint to Jasper Philipsen

A week ago, it wasn’t clear if Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) would even be on the start line of Milan-San Remo after illness forced him out of Paris-Nice.

Fast forward to Saturday, and as he arched over his bike on Via Roma, his daughter on his handlebars, it was hard to gauge how the Australian was feeling.

Exhausted, most likely, having raced a flat-out Monument, but after narrowly missing out on another big one-day race, second to Jasper Philipsen must have felt like a heartbreaking moment for the veteran, even when considering his questionable health just a few days ago.

Read more: Milan-San Remo: Jasper Philipsen takes victory in photo-finish sprint

“It’s hard. Obviously, I’m happy with a podium but being so close, it’s bittersweet. Tomorrow morning I’ll be happy with my performance but at this moment right now, being this close to a Monument, after so many podiums, it’s hard,” he told reporters just a few minutes after seeing Philipsen edge him off the top step of the podium and win his first Monument.

“I think I did everything perfectly. I wouldn’t change anything. The way I bounced back I’m really proud of myself,” Matthews added.

“I didn’t know where I was coming into the race. I didn't know how to read my form. From where I was last week, when I didn’t even know if I’d race Milan-San Remo, so to turn that around and be on the podium by a tyre, I can’t really ask more for that. I really proud of my performance and hopefully I can carry this form into my next races.”

When asked if he would change anything about his race, Matthews paused for a moment. There were a million and one scenarios and plot-twists within Milan-San Remo, the race hanging by a thread for most of the last two hours, but Matthews was faultless for the most part.

He followed the key accelerations on the Cipressa and the Poggio, despite being without teammates for the final, and then he went up against Lidl-Trek and Alpecin, who both had two riders for the sprint.

In the sprint he came off Jasper Stuyven’s wheel when the accelerations opened, and picked a perfect line, only for Philipsen to come through the inside, and snatch a well-deserved win.

Could Matthews have made it harder for the Belgian to pass through such a tight window? It was certainly on Matthews’ mind as he took on the idea without prompting.

“I wouldn’t change the choices from the sprint. Maybe I could have closed Philipsen a bit more on the barrier but I wanted to make sure I won it fair and square and if he was faster, then he was faster. There’s not much I could do.”

Saturday’s result represents Matthews’ third podium in Milan-San Remo and his eighth top-ten in one of cycling’s five Monuments.

Along with his three podiums, but no wins, in the elite World Championships, he’s forged a career as a rider who has been on the cusp of that ultimate victory throughout most of his career.

His palmares is still stacked, with stages in Grand Tours, a Green jersey from the Tour de France, and countless other wins that most riders could only dream of. Despite that, and his impressive comeback over the last week, he leaves Italy once again with a 'sense of what might have been'. At least this isn't the end of the road, with a number of races still on the Australian's calendar, and he spoke with a sense of optimism before making the short trip across the border to his home in Monaco.

“Mixed emotions, and angry to be so close but tomorrow I’ll wake up and be proud of what I’ve achieved. I've been trying for this victory in Milan-san Remo for 10 years now so to here continuously in the top six, I can be really proud and hopefully one day I can make it onto the next step."