After winning the stage with his CADEX WheelSystem, Matthews took over the leader’s jersey in the weeklong stage race in Spain. The 31-year-old revealed his top form two days prior at the Milan-San Remo classic, where he just missed the podium with an impressive fourth-place finish. He followed that up with the win on the Volta’s opening stage, which finished with an uphill dash in Sant Feliu de Guixols.
Stage 1 challenged riders with short, punchy climbs and an uphill finish. Crosswinds and rain made it all the more difficult, but Matthews was motivated and his team helped deliver him to the win. The Australian knew the finish well, having won a stage here in the 2019 Volta.
“It’s been a long time without a victory for me now, so to come back to a finish I knew well and win again, it means so much,” said Matthews. “This course suits me quite well, a hard race and then an uphill sprint to the finish.”
The race continues through the rest of the week before finishing in Barcelona on Sunday.
“We have a really great team here,” Matthews said. “We have me for these types of finishes, we have Kaden Groves for the flat sprints, and we also have Simon Yates for the GC and mountain stages. So we have all the stages covered, and we’ve started it off on the best note so far.”
Matthews Sprints to His First Win of the Year!
March 21, 2022
Australian Michael Matthews wasted little time making a splash with Team BikeExchange-Jayco, scoring his first win of the year at the opening stage of the Volta a Cataluyna WorldTour race.
Matthews timed his sprint perfectly and took the win in Sant Feliu de Guixols. Getty Sport Images
The Australian was confident with his chances in the finale, having also won here in 2019. Cor Vos photo
Team BikeExchange-Jayco's aggressive riding in the rain and heavy crosswinds set the tone for the day. Cor Vos photo
Matthews scored his first win in more than a year. Getty Sport Images
