Michael Matthews Appreciation Thread

[Rockestar_33]

Being on the ground for the TDU there is lots of discussion in the Aussie media about the best current Aussie rider. For some reason Bling is overlooked when for me he is clearly the best.

Tough to say. He wins, but I'd have Hindley ahead of him at a minimum.

 

[Breh]

I like Matthews the most and I think he's still the best guarantee for UCI points but as he's aging I'd probable invest in a different Australian if I were Jayco.

Problem is that Oconnor and Hindley are meh. They don't move the needle enough.
Groves will definitely rack up enough points and is the youngest of the lot but he's a sprinter and they are somewhat dull.
Vine is obviously very cool but I doubt Jayco would be able to reproduce the salary and results.
Idk what to think about Storer.

Heart says Vine, head says Groves

 

[tobydawq]

I like Matthews the most and I think he's still the best guarantee for UCI points but as he's aging I'd probable invest in a different Australian if I were Jayco.

Problem is that Oconnor and Hindley are meh. They don't move the needle enough.
Groves will definitely rack up enough points and is the youngest of the lot but he's a sprinter and they are somewhat dull.
Vine is obviously very cool but I doubt Jayco would be able to reproduce the salary and results.
Idk what to think about Storer.

Heart says Vine, head says Groves

Groves is probably one of the the least boring sprinters around, though. His Tour stage win last year was something else for a sprinter, as was the Limburg Classic and the Madrid stage of the 2023 Vuelta.

 

[Squire]

Broke both wrists in a training crash today.

Damn. How much bad luck can one man have? Was hoping this would be the year he'd finally get a big win.

 

[tobydawq]

Broke both wrists in a training crash today.

Damn. How much bad luck can one man have? Was hoping this would be the year he'd finally get a big win.

That's going to be five weeks in hell. Imagine not being able to use any of your hands

 

[search]

did he ever make it to Sanremo without getting sick or injured the weeks before?

 

[yaco]

Jayco has had a good run at avoiding injuries so far in 2026. In saying that, losing Bling is a big blow because of his versatility as a rider and ability to get results. Normally you say broken wrist and you can keep fitness on the ergo but it is trickier with 2 broken wrists. I suspect he will be out of racing until June.

 

[Gratemans]

Justified or not, I always hate it more when this happens to older riders.

Sad we won't see him in MSR.
I mean yeah, Pog is of course the best rider that never won La Primavera, but if you hadn't yet, be sure to look up Blings track record in the race..

 

[Breh]

this sucks