"It’s like a second chance in cycling": Michael Matthews ready to take 2026 head-on with new motivation

The 2025 season went anything but as Michael Matthews had planned. Although it's not quite reflected in his results, the Australian was forced to sit out nearly the entire summer due to pulmonary embolism and therefore he completed only 29 race days this year. But despite the adversity, the 35-year-old Matthews looks ahead to the new season with the same ambition as ever.

Although much of the season was wasted, Matthews cannot be completely disappointed in terms of palmares. Next to top-5 results at Milano-Sanremo and Amstel Gold Race, the Jayco AlUla rider triumphed at the Eschborn-Frankfurt, his last race before the health indisposition struck. On his return, he triumphed one more time - in a rainbow jersey race, the mixed relays at the World Championships in Kigali.

"It definitely wasn’t something I planned for," Matthews looked back at the season in an interview with IDLProCycling. "After winning in Eschborn-Frankfurt I thought the season was turning around and everything was heading in a good direction, but god had different plans for me and this years Tour de France. In the end, we managed to beat it and come back stronger."  

With the little workload in summer, there was at least a room on Matthews' schedule to travel for the Japan Cup, ticking off one item from the bucket list in the process: "It has always been a dream of mine to go to Japan," Matthews says. "I love everything about it, so it was our dream to go there. My daughter was already googling and making a checklist of what she wanted to do, it was amazing to see how happy she was."

Overcoming such serious health issue, many would rethink whether to continue to pursue their cycling career at the age of 35. But Matthews put a pen on the paper to sign a new contract at Jayco AlUla through 2027 instead.

"Everyone said: was this the sign that it’s the end of my career? But as long as my health is fine, it’s like a second chance in cycling. When you’ve had something potentially taken away from you, something that’s your hobby, your dream, your life - I think I appreciate it even more, that I can do it everyday."

"You hear a lot of guys getting older and losing a little bit of motivation, but for me it’s the opposite. I’m even more motivated than I was any other year. I’m still the guy attacking my teammates and being stupid all the time, because I still love riding my bike."

In 2024, Matthews finished second in a reduced group sprint at the Milano-Sanremo, his favourite Monument and the one where his odds to win seem to be highest. And although Tadej Pogacar continues to make the race increasingly challenging for men like Matthews, the ambition to one day add La Primavera to his palmares is not gone.

"I still haven’t ticked the boxes that I dream of every morning - obviously Milan-Sanremo. I’ve been close so many times. It’s not just a box to tick, but It’s a dream of mine to win. I’m not going to give up until my body does."

"If I’m going there riding for second or third - that’s not motivating. I see them as amazing athletes, but this is why we do sport, because we believe we can win. In the past, it’s always been these same guys, but they’re also human, they can make mistakes," he concludes.