Michael Matthews: I’ve been trying to find that love for the bike again

After an injury-hit season the Australian is looking to bounce back and welcomes Caleb Ewan into the fold at Jayco AlUla

09:30, Wednesday 3rd January 2024

Daniel Benson

Editor in Chief

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Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) winning a stage at the Giro d'Italia in 2023

After a stop-start season that involved two bouts of COVID-19 and several major crashes, Michael Matthews is hoping for a clean run in 2024 as he aims for the Spring Classics, a possible Tour de France spot and the Olympic Games in Paris.

The 33-year-old won just once in 2023, picking up a memorable stage at the Giro d’Italia but the meagre win column tells only one side of the Jayco AlUla rider’s story.

“2023 wasn’t the best. Not through a lack of trying but there were just too many setbacks for the year to come together,” Matthews told GCN at a recent team camp in Spain. “There were many too many for me to put the season together. I got COVID just before Paris-Nice and missing the early Classics, crashing just before Flanders, crashing three times in the race, which included a 2.5cm tear in my quad, and then only having a week of training in the Giro.”

A stage win in the Giro was still a massive boon for the versatile veteran, who now has 10 Grand Tour stage wins to his name. Post-Giro though, and the health issues and bad luck once again played their part in his campaign. After finding form in the second half of the year he once again encountered a series of crashes and a second strain of COVID.

“Winning a stage in the Giro was really nice but it was hard because of the lack of training I’d had. The next goal was Worlds but I didn’t have the chance to test myself properly because I crashed and broke my shoulder two weeks before the race. I still started but just wasn’t in the right place because of my shoulder," Matthews said.

"Then I came back again and got third in Québec and then got COVID in Montréal. At the end of the season, I was on my hands and knees. There was a lot of negativity but that was the reality of my season. The results from this season don’t say enough about the shape that I was in this season. But cycling isn’t just about having good form, it’s about having good luck.”

Now fully rested, Matthews has had a chance to pick his aims for the new year ahead. The time away from the bike over the winter provided the Australian with the necessary space to re-set and with the help of the team’s new adviser and former pro Allan Peiper, fresh ambitions have been formulated.

“I had one month with no bike, no sport and was totally switched off from the bike. That was really good for me and I didn’t think about cycling for four weeks. I really needed that. Since I’ve come back I’ve been trying to find that love for the bike again for the 2024 season. I’m looking for a bit more luck this year,” Matthews said.

Matthews looks forward to reunion with Caleb Ewan and a possible Tour de France berth

Schedule-wise, Matthews will skip the Tour Down Under this month and instead revert to his more established race programme with a start in Paris-Nice. He will then focus on the Spring Classics before aiming at a possible return to the Tour de France. His last outing at the Tour saw him net a stage win in Mende but he knows that results will have to come in the first few months of the season if he is to guarantee a spot on an already competitive roster.

“I’ll start in Paris-Nice. Then it will be Milan-San Remo and the Classics. From there we’ll see but I’ll put the focus back on Paris-Nice from the start of the season. For the Grand Tours, that’s still up for discussion at the moment. I’d love to do the Tour again, and that’s no offence to the Giro because I had a great time. Winning the stage was amazing. But with the structure of the season, the Olympics, and Worlds, the goal is to be at the Tour,” he told GCN.

Caleb Ewan (left) and Michael Matthews (right) have paired together for Australia at the World Championships, but will look forward to being trade teammates once again in 2024

One new aspect of the Jayco team in 2024 is the return of Caleb Ewan. The sprinter started his career with the squad before joining Lotto Soudal in 2019. The 29-year-old returned to his roots over the winter after an acrimonious last year in Belgian and is hoping to rebuild his career. Matthews and Ewan worked well together when they were first on the team a decade ago, and Matthews believes that the return of Ewan can only improve the team moving forward.

“I think that it only strengthens our team to get more wins. I think our team was lacking another sprinter in 2023 because there are so many sprints in the season. Obviously, Caleb has been in the team before and he knows the structure. The team he was in, started well but faded out, and those things do happen. The same happened to me and Sunweb at the time. For Caleb, it’s definitely a refresher on his career, and it’s going to give him massive motivation. We both live in Monaco, and we train together quite a bit, so I think we can help each other to bring each other forward.”