‘In training sprints, I can beat him’ – Michael Matthews is faster than Tadej Pogačar but winning the world title is not that simple

Michael Matthews credited his friend and training partner Tadej Pogačar for helping him rediscover his love for cycling but said there will be no gifts in Sunday’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich. The Australian is convinced he can beat the Slovenian in an eventual sprint finish.

“When he starts riding more than a few minutes uphill, then it gets more difficult but in training sprints, I can beat him,” Matthews told Cyclingnews during the World Championship week, with a good-humoured hint of cycling braggadocio.