Michael Matthews, or ‘Bling’ to his friends, toes the line between a pure sprinter and a classics specialist. He’s been a serial stage winner at the highest level for years now, and has racked up quite the palmares; nine Grand Tour stage wins, including four at the Tour de France and a Green Jersey there too. Combine that with a silver medal from the 2015 World Championships and bronze at the 2022 edition and you get the picture of a well-rounded rider who’s bound to be in the mix of any race that isn’t mountainous.
Matthews currently rides for Team Jayco-AlUla, effectively the BikeExchange-Jayco team of 2022 but with new sponsors. As per the latter half of the 2022 season, the team will be using the new Giant Propel Advanced SL, updated last year to be more of an all-around race bike compared to the all-out aero previous generation.
We’re going to take a look at his bike for the upcoming season, as well as looking back at some of his memorable bikes from seasons past.
What is Michael Matthews’ bike?
While the team will have the option to use the Giant TCR, the brand’s more lightweight, climbing-oriented bike, we’d be surprised if we ever see Matthews astride one. He’s a powerful rider, not aiming to compete in the high mountains, so even on mountain stages he tends to stick to his favoured setup rather than switching.
At 5’10” Matthews straddles Giant’s ‘M’ and ‘M/L’ sizes, and while we weren’t permitted to get the measuring tape out, the monstrous 140mm stem is a pretty guaranteed indication that he’s opted for the smaller of the two options.
We have seen custom paint jobs for Matthews in the past, even when he’s not wearing a leader’s jersey, but for 2023 he’s got the same paint scheme as the rest of the team and a build that, although top-end and undeniably pro, is free from any surprises.
| Frame | Giant Propel Advanced SL – M |
| Groupset | Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9250 12-speed |
| Brakes | Shimano Dura-Ace 9270 hydraulic disc |
| Wheelset | CADEX 50 Ultra |
| Tyres | CADEX Aero – 25mm |
| Handlebar | Giant Contact SLR Aero – 40cm |
| Stem | Giant Contact SLR Aero – 140mm |
| Chainset | Shimano Dura ace FC-9200P – 54/40T – 170MM |
| Power meter | Shimano Dura ace FC-9200P |
| Pedals | Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 |
| Saddle | Giant Fleet SLR (Unconfirmed) |
| Bottle cages | Giant Propel, semi-integrated |
| Bar tape | Giant Stratus Lite 2.0 |
| Computer | Garmin |
Previously,…
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