Michael Matthews wanted to achieve his second win at the Tour de Sussie, but he only came as close as falling in the runner-up slot on stage 4. Although some may see it as an achievement, given that the rider has stood a podium in the early stages of the race, it is quite clear that it was not the result Mathews was hoping for. Michael expressed his dissatisfaction in the following words:
I fought really hard to get over the final climb, I had a teammate with me to pace me over the very top and bring me into the sprint, but I was just bombarded into the final corner, and unfortunately, I couldn’t launch my sprint like the way I wanted to.
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The BikeExchange–Jayco rider sprinted to catch up to Daryl Impey (Israel-Premier Tech) but he fell short by just a few seconds. Although he congratulated his former teammate wholeheartedly, it was clear that he was not happy with his place. He commented on his performance in the race, saying:
I had to start my sprint really early, I think with around 400 or 500 to go to get back to actually fight for the victory. I had really good speed, I had really good legs, but just made a silly mistake through the final corner
This is Matthews’s third time on the podium this year. He is using this race to prepare for the upcoming Tour de France. The sports director of the team, Mat Hayman, also commented on the situation:
We’re disappointed to miss out in such a close sprint at the end there. It was really hard to pick the stage today, it was touch and go whether or not the sprinters would make it over the final climb
He beckons Michael in his disappointment:
In the end, it was select, not all the sprinters made it over and it’s good to see Michael’s form, but when you miss out on the win by that much, it’s disappointing.
The 31-year-old will have a chance to practice his sprint on climbs as stage 5 consists of a grueling 3,000 m climb. It has a category 2 climb of Monte Ceneri. It doesn’t get any easier on stage 6 which consists of the HC climb of Nufenenpass before reaching the finish line at Moosalp.
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The Tour ends with stage seven, which has a difficult pass of 194.6 km with exhausting climbs throughout before finishing at Valduz. No doubt, such taxing tracks can be difficult to conquer even for a sprinter like Michael Matthew.
Also Read: A Horrible Crash Unfolds At The Tour De Suisse
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Cycling Pro Net
