Michael Matthews hopes for a bit more luck in 2024: "There were too many setbacks last year"

Michael Matthews is preparing to be at his best at the Spring Classics, the Tour de France, hoping to be called up, and finally the Paris Games. The 33-year-old's 2023 was to forget with several injuries and two stops caused by Covid, but during the season he still managed to grab a stage victory at the Giro d'Italia.

"2023 wasn't the best," Matthews confirms to GCN. "Not for not trying, but there were too many setbacks during the year. There have been too many to be able to have a good season."

"At the end of the season I found myself broken. There was a lot of negativity, but that's how things went. The results of this season do not give an idea of the form I had this year. But cycling isn't just about being in good shape, it's also about being lucky."

Despite some bad luck in 2023, Matthews will try for a similar set of objectives this year. "We'll see from there, but first of all I'll start the season focusing on Paris-Nice," he adds. "The question of Grand Tours is still under discussion. I would like to do the Tour again, and this is no offense to the Giro because I had a lot of fun. Winning the stage was fantastic. But with the structure of the season, between the Olympics and the World Championships, the goal is to be at the Tour."