Good news for Jayco AlUla at last - Michael Matthews set to return to racing in time for the Tour de France

Team Jayco AlUla have not been having an easy year. Whilst Mauro Schmid has accumulated most of the team's wins and UCI points, elsewhere the pieces haven't often fell in place. Since January, the team hasn't been able to rely on Michael Matthews, who has been recovering from a myriad of health issues. But the Australian rider is starting the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes this Sunday and the team has provided an update that he is expected at the Tour de France.

The Australian began his season in Spain, winning the Gran Premio Castellon late in January where he showed off good season-start form. He looked to aim towards Milano-Sanremo and the spring classics but in early March he suffered a serious training crash which left him with multiple injuries that requires several surgeries.

Matthews required months to recover. He fractured an eye socket, both wrists, had an open fracture in one of his arms, a fractured thumb and also several severed tendons in it. In the space of three weeks he was not able to do any physical activity, which required him to go back to the very start and prepare once again for a new start to the season. Over recent weeks the Australian has been able to put in more training hours and will be using next week's race to build rhythm and test his form ahead of the Tour.

The Tour is a race that has marked Matthews' career on several instances. It is there that he achieved the biggest wins of his career, with four separate ones in 2016, 2017 (two) and most recently 2022 where he won solo in the Mende airfield. In 2017 he also won the green jersey, one of the biggest accomplishments a sprinter can have, although he is much more than just a sprinter.

However last year Matthews was forced to skip the race as right before the start he suffered a pulmonary embolism whilst preparing for the Tour at altitude. Quick medical intervention prevented a potential worst case scenario, and he only returned to competition at the end of August.

One of Matthews' big goals for the 2026 season was the Tour de France all along, where he would be joining the likes of Ben O'Connor, Luke Plapp and Pascal Ackermann. Team manager Brent Copeland has confirmed this is currently the plan for the Australian team in the Domestique Hotseat Podcast.

“To send Michael to the Tour? Yeah, absolutely," he confirmed. "He's such a quality rider, and Michael is a rider that gives 200% in his training and his recovery, and he's done everything that he can to be in the best condition".