Michael Matthews: Chasing History | Giant Bicycles
Michael Matthews: Chasing History | Giant Bicycles
“I think at the end of the race, I’ll be happy if I have the Rainbow Jersey. I’ve had second. I’ve had third. I’ve had fourth. I’ve had seventh. So I think anything less than the win will be, yeah, a disappointment.”
Since winning the U-23 world title in 2010 UCI Cycling Road World Championships, Team Jayco AlUla’s Michael Matthews has had his sights set on being the first-ever athlete to pair that U-23 championship with a coveted elite victory.
From high altitude training in Livigno to course recon in Glasgow, follow Michael on his journey leading up to the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds.
This is ‘Chasing History’.
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Content
24.535 -> At the end of the race,
you will be happy if.
31.255 -> I think at the end of the race,
32.775 -> I'll be happy if I I
have the Rainbow Jersey. I've had second.
37 -> I've had third. I've
had fourth. I've had seventh.
40.6 -> I've had eleventh.
42.155 -> So I think anything less than
the win will be, yeah, a
46.315 -> disappointment, let's say.
57.62 -> Yeah. I think every
59.775 -> every road cyclist or every athlete
would love to be world champion.
65.615 -> It's the biggest thing
you can really achieve.
68.95 -> It's where everyone
is at their best,
71.83 -> preparing for that specific
course and to to to
77.485 -> have that in your palmares,
80.605 -> you can, yeah, you can
win any other race, but
84.54 -> once you've won the
World Championship, you know,
86.62 -> you've really made something of your
of your life and of your
89.34 -> career. So I think ever since
I won the under-23,
94.445 -> I heard that no one had
actually won the under-23
96.925 -> and the and
the elite. So, yeah,
99.885 -> since I won the
under-23,
101.245 -> I was I've been pushing
for that, that world title,
103.91 -> in the elite. So it's a dream
that I go to sleep, wake up
108.31 -> every morning, thinking about
110.415 -> that that rainbow jersey.
112.255 -> So hopefully, in my career,
it can also happen.
120.41 -> I get told it a few
times every year.
123.69 -> "You know that no one's done
the double?" Yeah. I know. I
127.29 -> know. Try to make
it. Thank you.
136.7 -> Yeah. We're here in Livigno
for for three weeks.
139.74 -> I normally come to
altitude for three weeks.
141.5 -> That's pretty stock
standard for me.
143.185 -> But, yeah, not being
at the Tour de France.
145.505 -> I need to I need to get
some extra bonus,
149.105 -> through my training. And
coming here to Livigno,
151.98 -> it's like my second home. So
I feel at home here, which is,
155.5 -> a great feeling when you've
got a really important goal coming
158.86 -> up so you can have
that relaxation of,
161.385 -> being somewhere you're
comfortable, but,
163.225 -> also being surrounded by
people that are helping you to,
166.025 -> to achieve your goal in
that, in that camp, and, Yeah.
169.56 -> I think, obviously, a
lot of road training,
172.04 -> very specific road
training, and then,
174.76 -> some some mountain biking,
176.04 -> some hiking just to sort of
clear the head a little bit to
178.795 -> get away from the road bike. But,
yeah, just keeping it fun, I think,
183.195 -> is the the main thing I
know myself when I'm having fun and
186.22 -> only I'm performing well.
187.34 -> So I think if we keep
that fun factor in,
189.98 -> even though there's a lot
of pressure that we all know
192.14 -> about, but, yeah,
193.725 -> keeping it fun and enjoying
the people around you,
196.205 -> enjoying every moment,
living in the moment,
198.845 -> I think is the most important.
202.99 ->
204.83 ->
208.43 -> The objective today is
check the the Glasgow World
211.285 -> Championships course.
We've got city bikes.
214.325 -> We've got Allain Peiper.
We've got Sam, our video,
216.565 -> video man here.
217.89 -> And we've we've got beautiful
weather in Glasgow, so,
220.21 -> looking forward to it.
Yeah. The World Championships, it's,
223.81 -> something we've been
looking forward to,
225.57 -> since we knew about the course.
228.195 -> It's in Glasgow. It's,
230.115 -> a course that does suit
my characteristics.
232.595 -> We went to see it a couple
weeks ago now, and,
236.41 -> I think it's gonna be a
great race, so fingers crossed
239.21 -> it works out.
Have you seen a world course like that before,
241.85 -> is it a quite unique one?
242.89 -> I think it's really
unique because,
245.935 -> it's made a little bit
for everybody, sprinters, punchers, climbers,
251.135 -> but the thing is,
it's so technical.
253.17 -> Thirty six corners
every lap, ten laps,
255.17 -> that's three hundred and
sixty corners. I mean,
257.01 -> if you can do the math,
258.37 -> but which is gonna make
it really a race of attrition,
261.33 -> you know, to stay
in front, and to,
264.565 -> to keep your eye on
the ball at all times.
281.295 -> Well, those rims are
nice and clean now. Yeah.
284.815 -> Yeah.
285.055 -> I think being away from my
family is probably the biggest sacrifice.
288.735 -> Obviously,
290.82 -> yeah, I think when
I was a bit younger,
292.9 -> it was maybe easier,
but having a daughter now that's,
296.66 -> five and a half years old,
298.855 -> missing a lot of what,
301.575 -> what's happening in her
life is is quite difficult.
304.935 -> Seeing a lot of videos
and video calls.
309.09 -> I mean,
309.89 -> you sort of have to put in
the back of your mind a little bit
313.89 -> while you're while
you're away because
317.245 -> In the end, you're away to to do your,
321.405 -> do your job and fulfill your
your goal and your your dream
324.605 -> in life. And I think If you can
if you can achieve your goal in life,
329.63 -> then you can also show to
your family what you're doing it for,
333.735 -> and I think that's my biggest
motivation at the moment is to
337.975 -> show my family what we're
actually sacrificing,
340.695 -> our our life for. And I think,
343.28 -> just watching,
actually, last week,
346.24 -> we watched the Tour de France
stage that I won,
348.56 -> with my daughter.
349.84 -> And she said, "is this
the one you win, Daddy?",
351.935 -> And I think that moment
when she said this,
356.015 -> you can also feel that
she understands it, that
359.91 -> She knows she's starting to understand
what goes into to winning a race,
363.75 -> what the preparation, because
they follow me in training
366.63 -> quite a lot when I'm
doing really long rides.
368.695 -> Trying to make my
daughter understand that
371.415 -> cycling is my job. It's it's my
work, and it's why I'm away so
375.575 -> much I'm not a holidaying.
377.19 -> It's, it's really a hard job,
379.35 -> and we want her to
really understand,
381.35 -> what we're actually doing. So
384.125 -> yeah, thinking back to that,
385.645 -> when my daughter said that
when we're watching the stage,
387.885 -> I I wanted to just go
training then and just train super hard
391.485 -> to to now hopefully bring
her back that, that Rainbow Jersey.
398.9 -> I think something good we've
done through my career from a
402.345 -> young age was try and add
one thing each year, not try
406.825 -> and change everything
from one year to the next,
410.345 -> keep building on what we
have learned and what we,
415 -> know works for us and
then add something. So
419.235 -> I mean, I've been pro now
for, I think, twelve years.
422.275 -> So you can imagine how many
things have been added to, to,
425.795 -> to my life, let's say,
428.25 -> So it is getting
quite complicated, let's say,
431.77 -> from when I started
professional,
434.25 -> in twenty eleven till now.
437.77 -> Yeah, think it's, it's not
I wouldn't say it's difficult,
441.115 -> but it's just extra things that
you need to do during the day,
446.7 -> and it's getting, it's getting
quite out of hand, I think,
450.22 -> the, the way this, the
way the sport is going,
452.94 -> all the extra things you need to
do to at the top of this of
455.705 -> the level. But, I
mean, I enjoy it.
457.625 -> I like I like the challenge.
459.465 -> But, yeah, it's, it's a full
on day these days, where
464.4 -> the past, you basically
just trained, eat, sleep,
467.2 -> but now you gotta do
469.2 -> ten other things
during the day,
471.76 -> just to make sure you can stay
at the top of this this sport,
474.355 -> and I think the age I am now,
477.235 -> to still continuously be at the
top of the sport, I guess that's,
480.915 -> shows the sacrifices that I do make
and the extra work I do do
484.83 -> to stay at the top.
494.475 -> Yeah. I think this whole,
497.035 -> cycling festival, let's say,
498.635 -> of World Championships all
at the same time in Glasgow,
501.81 -> in August is
503.81 -> it's almost like celebrating,
506.29 -> a passion that
everyone has for bikes.
508.69 -> Doesn't matter what
the discipline is.
510.635 -> I've done, I don't even know
how many disciplines there is
512.635 -> actually competing, at
that World Championship,
514.875 -> but I think it's amazing.
516.395 -> It brings everyone for the
passion for for for bikes to to
520.28 -> one place at one time,
521.4 -> and hopefully it boosts all
the different sports altogether at
525.08 -> the same time.
And Unfortunately,
527.105 -> it's not like an Olympics
where we'll get to actually interact
530.145 -> with other other disciplines.
532.785 -> But, yeah, I think just
for all of us, being,
536.69 -> able to watch sort of other
sports all at the same time is
540.37 -> gonna be incredible.
541.57 -> I think it's I think it's
only gonna happen every four years.
544.45 -> So it's gonna be
very unique, but,
547.165 -> very special at the same
time. After Livigno,
549.165 -> I think we'll have
a few Spanish races,
552.18 -> Villa Franco, and another
Spanish one in San Sebastian.
556.18 -> So I think about four
or five race days,
559.285 -> in between the end of
this training camp and the World
561.765 -> Championships. So fine
fine tuning
565.045 -> towards the big goal. Yeah.
566.245 -> I think we have a super
strong team, obviously.
568.77 -> Australia always does. So, I
mean, we'll see what happens.
572.77 -> I think, we have, we have a
fair few options in the team, which
576.745 -> is, I think, already good,
578.745 -> to create different
scenarios in the race. But,
581.305 -> I think a World Championship,
582.425 -> you can never really say
exactly what's gonna happen on
584.665 -> a course like this
it's so unpredictable.
587.87 -> There's so many corners.
589.47 -> I think the longest straight is
about eight hundred meters. No radios,
593.71 -> racing with your national team that
you don't get to race with
596.655 -> through the year, so that
puts another spin on it. So,
600.175 -> I don't think anyone
knows exactly what's gonna happen
603.03 -> especially on a
course like this.
605.19 -> In Glasgow, it can also be wet.
606.79 -> That puts another
factor into it. So,
610.31 -> I think he's had to
prepare anything basically. And then,
613.885 -> yeah, whatever gets thrown
at you in that situation,
616.845 -> you need to be able
to deal with it,
618.045 -> and that's what we're here for.
619.14 -> To, prepare for all
situations. And then, yeah,
622.34 -> we'll be ready for whatever
gets thrown at us. Hopefully,
625.86 -> yeah, hopefully it all
comes together and we can,
629.325 -> At least one of us can
pull on that, that jersey.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoeogJ-dJeU