"Doctors said if I'd kept training, I would have killed myself within two days" – Michael Matthews ready for rebirth of his career in 2026 after near-death scare

Michael Matthews has opened up on the terrifying pulmonary embolism that almost ended not just his season, but his life — and says the ordeal has triggered what he describes as the true “rebirth” of his career heading into 2026.

Speaking in conversation with Cycling News, the Australian revealed just how close he came to disaster while training at altitude in Livigno last June. What started as unexplained fatigue during the final days of a three-week training block quickly spiralled into an emergency hospital stay, blood thinners, and doctors warning him of the starkest possible outcome.

“I was suddenly in hospital, and I didn't know if I was going to die that night or survive,” Matthews said. “The doctors said that if I'd kept training, I would have killed myself within two days.”

The shock of the diagnosis forced him out of the Tour de France and wiped out his mid-season goals, but the experience has reshaped his mindset entirely. Rather than retreat from the sport, he says the fear has instead sharpened his motivation. “I feel like it's a second opportunity for me in cycling because I realised my career could have been done,” he explained. “I feel it's a second chance for me to show what I'm really, really capable of.”

Matthews, who extended his contract with Team Jayco AlUla through to the end of 2027, insists he feels younger now than he has in years — and that the scare has only deepened his love for the daily grind of training and racing.

“I still feel like I'm 25 and I'm enjoying my second youth,” he said. “I'm still attacking my teammates out in training, and I'm normally the one that wants to do the extra training. The motivation is definitely still there, and I've a massive smile on my face every time I get up in the morning.”

He attributes part of his longevity to lifestyle choices that have kept him fresher than many of his generation. “I don't drink, and I don't party. I don't do any of the stuff that probably ages you faster than normal,” he said. “Maybe that's helped me to stay young and means I'm still able to compete with these young talents coming through.”

Despite being forced into three months of blood-thinning medication and a careful return to riding, Matthews still salvaged a competitive late-season run. He made his comeback at the Bretagne Classic, finished eighth in the sprint, then raced all the way through to the Japan Cup. He also claimed a second rainbow jersey with Australia in the Mixed Relay team time trial at the World Championships. “I was just so happy to pin a number on again,” he said.

Looking ahead, Matthews will follow a European build-up rather than travelling home for the Tour Down Under, with a full run at the Classics — from Milano–Sanremo to Liege–Bastogne–Liege — forming the heart of his 2026 plan. The Tour de France remains a major objective, and the Montreal World Championships in September are a significant target given his past success in Canada.

But Milano–Sanremo, the race that has both defined and tormented him, is again his first big goal. “I suppose I have a love-hate relationship with Milano-Sanremo,” he admitted. “It's obviously a race that suits me, and it's obviously a race that I've done well in the past, but it's been cruel to me too. You just need your cards to fall in the right way, it's quite a lottery, but it has never gone my way.”

The race has become even tougher with the more aggressive approach from UAE Team Emirates - XRG in recent years, spearheaded by his regular training companion Tadej Pogacar. “It's become more of an attacking race where it used to be a sprinter's race, but there's nothing I can do about that,” he said. “I have to make sure that I'm ready to go when the attacks happen, react to the situation and hopefully somehow finish it off.”

For Matthews, the trauma of last June has not created fear — it has given him clarity. He is not counting the years to retirement, nor rushing to put an end date on anything.

“The health problems I had this year were obviously a massive scare, but at the same time, I feel like they've given me a second chance in cycling,” he said. “I feel like it's a rebirth of my career.”

And as he puts in long efforts at Team Jayco AlUla’s December camp — “December is like the old January; we're already doing threshold efforts” — his message is simple: he’s still smiling, still competitive, and still convinced there is more to come.

“The off-season went really well,” he said. “I think it's probably the best I felt in December, so hopefully there are good things to come this year.”