– Michael Matthews on Tadej Pogacar’s ability to keep him enjoying cycling: “Tadej allowed me to keep enjoying cycling”

For the third occasion. Michael Matthews came very close to winning his first Monument with Milano-Sanremo again, but Jasper Philipsen and a pair of wild glasses stopped him. At age 34, Matthews still thinks he can celebrate his dream in San Remo sooner than Tadej Pogacar, who is also vying for the Milano-Sanremo title.

Among other places, he told IDLProCycling.com, “Now, every classic is full throttle from the start.” “There wasn’t even time to go to the bathroom at Milano-Sanremo this year after the flag was lowered.” When you have Tadej Pogacar on your team, UAE Team Emirates pushes off right away, which makes sense. We experienced riders have to learn how to change. Not doing so will get you kicked out.

However, Matthews loves this new way of racing: “I feel like cycling is more fun now.” If I rode for fun back then, I spend more time on and off the bike now. After racing against three generations of great riders, I’m happy to say that I’m still at the top of my game. I like racing against these guys, so it doesn’t feel like work. I am pleased with that.

Matthews’s friends and coworkers have all retired. The Australian found his love of cycling again thanks to his friend Pogacar. “Tadej was a very big part of the change I went through.” His mood reminded me of how I felt when I was that age. Because of Tadej, I’ve always been able to stay in the zone and enjoy riding.

Additionally, Matthews and Pogacar both feel frustrated about Milano-Sanremo. For different reasons, Matthews thinks he can win, while Pogacar doesn’t think he can. “The Sanremo contest can be won in two ways. In one case, his chances are the best. My name is on the other one. His race needs to be even harder than this year’s. Personally, I’d be content if we only have a small group of us reach the end. We can’t really help each other at that point; we need to focus on ourselves.”