Matthews: Romandie win has kick-started my season

24 April 2018 07:09
Less than a week after finishing fifth at La Flèche Wallonne, Michael Matthews (Sunweb) provided another testament to his versatility with a winning ride in the prologue at the Tour de Romandie. The Australian was left gasping for air and unable to initially stand when he crossed the line in Fribourg but was soon on his way to the podium to celebrate his first win of the season. Aside from his result in Flèche – and seventh in Milan-San Remo – Matthews had endured a difficult start to the season with a broken shoulder sustained in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and sickness disrupting his spring. His one-second win over surprise package Tom Bohli (BMC Racing) was just the tonic. "I think that was the kick I needed to get my season back on track," Matthews said at his winner's press conference.ADVERTISEMENT "After Flèche I was happy with the result, especially because for a sprinter it's not really normal to finish fifth. I always loved that race and wanted to give it a try, but coming here and getting the win today was what I really needed for my confidence," he said.  "It's my first win of the season so I'm just going to take a moment to enjoy today. Normally if I'm in a leader's jersey at a stage race I get too excited about the next days and forget about the feeling of actually winning." Matthews' pure speed and raw power have always opened up opportunities for him in prologues, and he memorably beat Tom Dumoulin in the corresponding event at Paris-Nice in 2016. This result, however, was a major morale booster for the Sunweb rider. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article

Source: Cycling News