Michael Matthews

Michael Matthews is an Australian professional cyclist who races for the Team Jayco AlUla. Seen as an all-rounder, Matthews has developed from a sprinter into a versatile rider capable of taking stage wins in Grand Tours and competing for one-day honours in major events.

Matthews turned professional with the Dutch team Rabobank in 2011 after winning the U23 road race at the UCI World Championships in 2010. He made an instant impression in the WorldTour, winning a stage at the Tour Down Under during the first month of his career and then picking up a number of wins and respectable placings over the remainder or the campaign. At the end of the 2012 season, Matthews signed for Orica GreenEdge with the Australian going on to make his Grand Tour debut at the 2013 Vuelta a España, where he won two stages.

In 2014 Matthews was part of the Orica team that won the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia. The next day Matthews moved into the maglia rosa as the race leader, before winning stage 6 of the race. He continued to lead the race until the end of stage 8. He raced the Vuelta a España towards the end of that season, picking off another stage win before embarking on his third season at Orica.

2015 saw Matthews continue his Grand Tour streak with two wins and another stint in the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia that May. He continued to impress in the Spring Classics with a podium finish in both Milan-San Remo and Amstel Gold Race, before finishing second to Peter Sagan at the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia.

Matthews went into his final season at Orica with the Tour de France in his schedule and the Australian duly delivered with a maiden stage win on the road to Revel. He announced later that summer that he would race for Team Sunweb from 2017 onwards. Matthews spent four full seasons on the German team and his major successes came early with two stage wins and the green jersey at the 2017 Tour de France. In 2018 he won both the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.

In 2021 Matthews and Sunweb agreed to terminate his contract early and the rider moved back to Team BikeExchange - formerly known as Orica - on a three-year contract. The Australian went through 2021 without taking a win but he rediscovered his form in 2022 with a stellar Tour de France stage win in Mende after going on the attack for over 150km and dropping his breakaway companions before the finish. 2023 was another quiet season for the Australian, with his only win coming on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia.