"We’ve been waiting for this for so long" - Michael Matthews emotional after helping Mauro Schmid win stage 13
Cycling
Team Jayco AlUla can already rate their 2026 Tour de France a success after stage 13. The Australian team managed to utilize its numerical advantage to create a perfect scenario for the former Swiss champion Mauro Schmid to triumph in a head-to-head sprint against Harold Tejada.
Michael Matthews played his own little part in this victory, although the team mostly saved their fastest man for the off-chance that there'd be a sprint of reduced group - similar to the fourth stage won by Mads Pedersen.
The stage's key point was the Ballon d'Alsace climb with summit 30 kilometers from the finish. Jayco set a pace for Matthews, but rivals' attacks ultimately shaved the group down to nine riders with only Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid present.
"It was grueling," he panted to Eurosport. "We weren't exactly lucky from the start, but at least Mauro was well positioned in a large group of more than thirty riders. That was after about twenty or thirty kilometers into the stage. We thought it was a great situation, but there were simply too many riders in the group to leave Mauro there on his own."
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Used every card in their disposal
The breakway formation did not stop at that point and, soon enough, Jayco were able to send three more of their strongest cards up the road.
"When it opened up again back there, the three of us - Plappie, Benno (Ben O'Connor, ed.), and I - rushed over. We wanted to make sure we had the strongest possible representation at the front. And yeah, what more could you ask for? We finished it off fantastically," said the Aussie.
Mauro Schmid wins ahead of Harold Tejada
End of fasting
A stage like today's was the exact scenario Team Jayco AlUla had hoped to create when they nominated all their stars for the Tour de France. Almost one year since Ben O'Connor's 2025 Tour de France stage 18 victory, it's once again the Australian team to raise their hands at a Grand Tour.
"We’ve been waiting for this for so long," Matthews outlines. "We have an incredibly strong team here with so many great riders who are perfectly suited for these kinds of stages. I’m truly incredibly proud that Mauro pulled it off for us."
"This is what we've been looking for right from the start. In the early stages, maybe one person would have a good day and the rest would have a bad one, but today everyone was in top form. This is what we were looking for and what we’ve worked so hard for."
All the suffering has been worth it
Matthews would've of course preferred to raise hands himself, but he's not disappointed about his 13th place. Instead, the Australian celebrates to have recovered from his past health adversities. While his 2025 campaign was cut short by pulmonary embolism, Matthews had sit out the entire 2026 spring after he broke both arms in a training accident.
"For me personally, it’s great to be back at this level and racing against the best riders in the world, especially after everything I’ve been through over the past two years."
The return has not been easy, but the 35-year-old is very happy to have been part of Schmid's first Tour stage victory. That confirms that all the work and hardships had not been for nothing.
"I really can't ask any more of you right now. I've worked so hard to get to this point. The fact that I'm racing here again, seeing a teammate win a stage, and maybe even having a shot at a stage win myself... Well, what more could you want?" Matthews concluded.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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