Evergreen Canberra ace Michael Matthews has helped bring smiles back to Australian team Jayco AlUla thousands of miles away after a struggling Tour Down Under.
The country’s only World Tour team has struggled in its homeland with no players finishing in the top five in either the men’s or women’s races, and Matthews, known as “Bling,” at least in the sport’s world, has finished first or better. I should have expected him to do well. Shining comfort.
In his first run of the new Spanish one-day race, the Gran Premio Castellon, the 33-year-old serial winner attacked again on Sunday (Monday AEDT) and started his campaign in style, winning in an uphill sprint.
Jayco celebrates after Dutch sprint star Dylan Groenewegen wins another one-day race in Spain, the Ruta de la Ceramica-Gran Premio Castellon It was on the second day of running that I was able to do so.
Matthews said 2021 was the only season in the last 15 years that he hadn’t won a race, but he was thrilled to be able to score a win in early 2024 on the 175km hilly trek that started in Castellon and ended with two short races. , a steep circuit around Onda.
In the finale, Matthews once again proved why he is still one of the best when it comes to uphill sprint finishes, ahead of young Frenchman Pierre Gaussela (decathlon – Ag2r La Mondial) and Spaniard Alex Arambre (Movistar). He won his 41st victory. his career.
“I’ve had some great wins in Spain, but to be the first winner of this race is really special,” said Matthews.
“There was a lot of stress because we all knew the main climb of the final would come two kilometers after the finish line (the penultimate lap) and from there it was full throttle all the way to the finish.
“Yesterday we did a great job as a team, and today we went at it from the beginning, took responsibility and had confidence in ourselves to get the result.
“I give full credit to the guys who ran all day today and yesterday for me and Dylan. This shows that the hard work is paying off.”
Matthews will next feature in the Valencia Volta a la Comunitato later this month.