Michael Matthews concluded his 2023 season with an impressive performance at the Veneto Classic last weekend. He displayed great style during the race. Despite a brief moment when “Bling” (as the 33-year-old Australian is known) tried to join the breakaway, he faced difficulties in the final phase of the race, finishing in 35th place.
The former green jersey winner of the 2017 Tour de France still has symptoms from a severe crash at the Giro del Veneto earlier in the week. Furthermore, the preparation for the season’s end was challenging as Jayco AlUla’s team leader had been dealing with health issues for some time. “I want to finish this year and forget it,” Matthews makes it clear.
Only one victory in 2023
“Looking at my form, this season was very good, but if you look at the results, certainly not,” confesses Matthews to the Dutch website WielerFlits. “We started the season very well in Australia, where I finished third in the national championship. In the Tour Down Under, I did well until the queen stage, where I lost the classification due to a mechanical issue.”
“Then I came to Europe and contracted the coronavirus before Paris-Nice. I missed Milan-San Remo and all my other main goals because of it. I started the Tour of Flanders, but I had a crash, which meant I couldn’t compete in the spring anymore,” Matthews sums up. “As a result, I arrived at the start of the Giro with only ten days of training. Besides that, it was a big mess. I want to finish this year and forget it.” In the 3rd stage of the Giro d’Italia, Matthews secured his only victory in 2023.
Watch the interview: