Michael Matthews: 'It's harder to win when you're the stage favourite'
Planning pays off perfectly for Australian rider
Australian Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb), winner of stage 14 of the Tour de France to Rodez on Saturday, says that his victory was made harder by being touted as the favourite coming into the stage.
Matthews blasted ahead of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) and Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) to win the violent 500-metre uphill kick.
>>> Chris Froome sensationally retakes Tour de France race lead as Matthews wins stage 14
"I think with being clear favourite it makes it difficult because everyone has probably been talking about you leading to the stage because everyone's eyes are on you," Matthews said.
"Not that they follow in the final, but try and get in front of you and make it harder for you to win. Luckily, I had some legs left to zip around to the front and get back in third wheel and do my sprint properly."
Matthews, 26, won a stage of last year's race while at Orica-BikeExchange, before switching to to Sunweb this winter. He had some pressure taken off him with team-mate Warren Barguil's win in Foix 24 hours ago, but was still a marked man.
Watch: Tour de France stage 14 highlights
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
He and Greg Van Avermaet were two stand out favourites for the uphill finish, similar to the former Amstel Gold Race Cauberg conclusion. They both knew the arrival, with Van Avermaet having won ahead of Peter Sagan on the same finish in 2015.
"We discussed with BMC that we both had the same goal. In the end, we just decided to work together," he added. "We said to each other we would stick together in the final and hopefully work together and stick to the front."
"No one else were going to help me and Van Avermaet because were he favourites today"
>>> Chris Froome: 'I never dreamt I'd take 24 seconds out of Aru'
They brought back the escape in the last five kilometres. The speeds and pressure grew with the classification men like Chris Froome, who regained the yellow jersey today, near the front with their team.
"We knew we had a good chance today. We put all the eggs in the basket today," he said.
"It was getting a little hectic there but I had Nikias Arndt to support me. Impressive to have a guy to support me in that final, no one else had team-mate."
>>> Five talking points from stgae 14 of the Tour de France
Matthews rode the stage in 2015, but at that point he did not figure due to rib fractures and could only manage 17th.
"Using that knowledge I had from 2015. I wasn't able to test it properly with four broken ribs, but it was nice to do for 'recon' for this year."
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.
-
I'm about to turn 40 - how can I keep riding fast?
Approaching a landmark birthday, Charlie Graham-Dixon explores how ageing affects cycling performance and what can be done to stay ahead of the curve
By Charlie Graham-Dixon Published
-
Life Time Grand Prix to have fewer riders and wild cards in 2025
The flagship US gravel series has confirmed the six races that will be a part of the competition next year
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tadej Pogačar misses out on GP Québec win on return to WorldTour action
Slovenian finishes seventh in first race back since third Tour de France victory
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'This one's for my grandma': Michael Matthews rounds off emotional week with third GP Québec victory
Australian’s grandmother passed away the week before he travelled to Canada
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Five things we learned from the second week of the Tour de France 2022
Sprinters take matters into their own hands in the week two of the race
By Stephen Puddicombe Published
-
Michael Matthews gambles and surprises by climbing to first Tour de France stage win in five years
BikeExchange-Jayco rider attacks from break and triumphs on steep finish up to Mende
By Adam Becket Published
-
Simon Yates misses out on Tour de France selection
Team BikeExchange-Jayco opt for sprint focussed line-up focused on Dylan Groenewegen
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Michael Matthews storms to victory on opening stage of Volta a Catalunya
Australian wins for a second time in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, outsprinting Sonny Colbrelli
By Adam Becket Last updated
-
'It's a shame to be out of the game': Michael Matthews just happy to be healthy after false positive at Giro d'Italia
The Australian was forced to withdraw from the Italian Grand Tour following a positive coronavirus test but has subsequently returned two negative tests
By Jonny Long Published
-
Michael Matthews retests negative for coronavirus after leaving Giro d'Italia
The Australian's initial positive may have been a false positive
By Jonny Long Published