Matthews and Gerrans fail to make joint leadership work at World Championships
Second placed Michael Matthews said he would have liked the full backing of the team after sprinting against Australian teammate Simon Gerrans
Australians Simon Gerrans and Michael Matthews clashed over team leadership and responsibilities following the World Championships on Sunday in Richmond, USA with Matthews saying that the pair raced against each other.
Matthews won the bunch sprint for the silver medal behind solo winner, Peter Sagan (Slovakia). His position was the same that Gerrans achieved last year in Ponferrada Spain behind Polish winner Michal Kwiatkowski. Gerrans yesterday placed sixth in the same group as Matthews.
Matthews explained beforehand that he hoped the entire Aussie team would support him. Gerrans, who also races on the same Orica-GreenEDGE trade team, told the Sydney Morning Herald that both riders had protected status.
"I think we both deserved that," Gerrans, 10 years older at 35, told the Australian newspaper.
"We were both right there at the end of the day and regardless of whether we took a different tactic, Peter Sagan I think was clearly the best guy in the race. The way that Peter rode, it wouldn't have mattered how many leaders you had in the team, we couldn't have done much about that."
Watch: Secrets of the toolbox - Orica-GreenEdge
Matthews was less diplomatic after receiving his silver medal and watching Sagan don the rainbow jersey. His team and other teams attempted to pull back Sagan after the last climb, but failed by three seconds.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Speaking to Cyclingnews, he praised team-mate Heinrich Haussler's work, but not Gerrans's. He explained Gerrans did not help him.
"We were sprinting against each other unfortunately. We had two leaders so it is what it is," he said.
"I would have liked the full support but it is what it is. We came in with two leaders."
Former professional, Bradley McGee directed the Australian team. His two-pronged approach was a good way to get a medal, but maybe not the gold one, said Matthews.
Matthews, 25, began as a favourite with places this year in big one-day races: third in both Milan-San Remo and the Amstel Gold Race, and second in Brabantse Pijl and the GP Quebec.
Gerrans had a terrible season with three crashes and subsequent fractures. He won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and both the Canadian WorldTour races in Québec and Montreal last year, but due to his setbacks was still without a win in 2015.
He returned to racing in the Vuelta a España after abandoning the Tour de France with a broken wrist.
Gerrans, however, added that he raced to McGee's pre-race plan. He said, "It was never the case of somebody didn't do what was asked of them, or somebody didn't do what was expected of them throughout the day.”
Australia last won the elite men’s road race in 2009 in Mendrisio, Switzerland, with Cadel Evans.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Is Lotte Kopecky's bog-standard Specialized Crux proof that you don't need wide tires and fancy suspension systems for gravel racing?
Kopecky finished second at Gravel Worlds on a bike with minimal modifications
By Joe Baker Published
-
Undercover Mechanic: Cyclists have become very excited about aerodynamics without a correlated excitement for pilates - the result is a lot of spacers
90% of the front area is you, not the bike; having a kamtail downtube will make sod all difference if you’re unable to reach the bars, argues CW’s Undercover Mechanic
By Undercover Mechanic Published
-
UCI Road World Championships 2024: Elite women's and men's time trial start times
The full rider lists and start times for the individual time trials in Zurich
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Jorgenson and Faulkner to lead a strong Team USA at UCI Road World Championships
The 2024 UCI Road World Championships are held in Zurich, Switzerland, September 21-29
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
‘Unprecedented’ television audiences revealed for cycling Super Worlds
Fans around the world watched more than 200 million hours in August
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Team USA at Road Worlds: Are Powless and Dygert our best hopes for a medal?
Here's who we'll be watching in the rainbow battles in Glasgow, Scotland.
By Henry Lord Published
-
Glasgow UCI World Championships bags Lidl partnership
Supermarket chain becomes official fresh food partner for the championships taking place in Glasgow in August
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ukrainian cyclist disqualified from World Championships after blood sample result
Mykhaylo Kononenko's blood sample revealed the presence of the banned substance tramadol
By Tom Davidson Published
-
How many calories do you burn winning the World Championship road race?
It’s the equivalent of six margherita pizzas, according to Remco Evenepoel's Strava data
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Don’t expect too much from Zoe Bäckstedt, says teenager’s British Cycling coach
Junior academy coach Emma Trott has warned against piling pressure on the 18-year-old
By Tom Davidson Published