“I want to end this year and forget it" - Michael Matthews keen to move on from disappointing 2023

For Michael Matthews, 2023 will not be a year that is remembered fondly. Despite the highs of a Giro d'Italia stage win, that was the only victory for the Australian as injuries and illness plagued him.

“I want to end this year and forget it," the Team Jayco AlUla leader tells Wielerflits. “Looking at my form, this season was quite good, but if you look at the results, then certainly not. We started the season very well in Australia, where I finished third at the national championship. In the Tour Down Under I was good until the queen stage, where I lost my ranking due to a mechanical problem.”

Returning to Europe though, Matthews' bad luck really began to take hold. "Contracted the coronavirus before Paris-Nice. I missed Milano-Sanremo and all my other main goals because of that," he recalls. "I started in the Tour of Flanders, but had a crash, which meant I could no longer compete in the spring. As a result, I was at the start of the Giro after only ten training days. Other than that it was a big mess.”

Looking ahead to next year, Matthews is choosing to remain optimistic. “I'm going to try to reset myself mentally, so I also have to take the positive into account," he concludes. "I was mentally strong enough to fight back every time. And I still enjoy cycling, but first I want to close this chapter.”