Three years after last taking on the Giro d’Italia, Australian sprinter Michael Matthews is back, spearheading the Jayco-AlUla lineup at La Corsa Rosa.
The 32-year-old will be on the lookout for stage wins at the Grand Tour, while new signing Eddie Dunbar leads the team’s general classification ambitions after a ninth-place finish at the recent Tour de Romandie.
Matthews has started in the Giro three times in the past, winning in the maglia rosa at Montecassino in 2014 and Sestri Levante in 2015 after the Australian team triumphed in the opening team time trials. He also started the pandemic-delayed 2020 Giro, while racing with Team Sunweb, but was forced to withdraw after nine stages following a positive COVID-19 test.
“Three years have already passed since the last time I raced the Giro and so I am very happy to return to a race that has given me a lot of satisfaction in the past, having won stages and worn the pink jersey back in 2014 and 2015. The Giro d’Italia is of course a huge race for us and it is always great lining up at such a prestigious event,” Matthews said.
Matthews has yet to taste victory this season, though he has taken to the podium at the Australian National Championships and on a stage of the Tour Down Under. He also won the points classification at the latter.
His spring campaign was thrown off track by a COVID-19 positive on the eve of Milan-San Remo. A month after his last racing appointment at the Tour of Flanders, he returned to racing at Monday’s Eschborn-Frankfurt in preparation for the Giro.
“I am eager to get back to racing,” he said. “I have had a bit of a rollercoaster of a season so far after a crash at the Tour of Flanders and having to recover from that and also being forced to stop for a while due to COVID. Now I am feeling good and like everything is back on track.
“This year’s course is very demanding, but there will be some good opportunities for me for stage victories and we have a well-balanced and experienced team. It is really motivating to have a slightly different calendar this year and to return to this great Grand Tour.”
In Dunbar, who moved to Jayco-AlUla over the winter after a four-year spell at Ineos Grenadiers, the team possess a potential candidate for the top 10 in Rome. The Irishman hasn’t raced a Grand Tour since making his debut at the Giro back in 2019.
The 26-year-old finished 22nd four years ago and looks in good form heading to the Grande Partenza, climbing among the strongest riders in the race on…
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