Matthews puts Frankfurt victory in perspective with van der Poel and Pogacar: "Never discouraged me"

To quote Mike Teunissen before the race: "Go and win a race..." Matthews knows what he's talking about because his last few years have not been what they used to be regarding victories. "My spring was good this year, but not the best. It's nice to end this block with a victory," said Matthews.

"It's a race that has suited me well for years, but I hadn't managed to win it yet," said Matthews, who finished third in 2011 and second in 2018. "To come here with the team and ride like this... It was really perfect. The way the team rode for me today: it's the icing on the cake."

"It was really tough. I didn't expect the team to push so hard on that second, long climb. We made the peloton suffer a lot there and lost all the fast riders. The team performed exceptionally well today. I'm very grateful to my team,” said Matthews, who claimed his first victory of the season. ”Once is enough. I will enjoy this victory and hopefully return to defend my title next year."

Michael, you have quite a history with this race. Fourteen years ago, you finished third.
(interrupts) "How many years?"

Fourteen. And in 2018, you finished second.
"That says it all. Wow, okay. That puts it into perspective for me. It's a race I compete in every year, intending to finish the classics on a high note. I've been close many times, but finally getting it done after so much work by the team feels really good.

The guys invested a lot of energy in making it difficult for the real sprinters. From then on, we teamed up with Uno-X to make it a sprint with a small peloton because that suited me well. The whole team contributed to that, making the victory even more satisfying."

Did the heat bother you?
"I felt very good. The Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège were also quite warm, and I got through them well, which gave me confidence for this race. I knew it would be challenging and hot, and we prepared ourselves for that. As a team, we were ready, with guys now heading to the Giro or similar races."

Where do you rank this victory after competing against Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Mads Pedersen, and co. all spring?
"This spring has been quite difficult. The level was incredibly high, and those top riders were on the podium in every major classic, but it never discouraged me from racing for the win. I love racing and being with my team. To do it now, at the end of the classics season, is fantastic. I knew Magnus Cort was the man to beat, but I wasn't sure."

Was there a plan to make it difficult for the other fast riders? Thibau Nys was at the top of the Feldberg, only ten seconds behind.
"Not really, until we reached the flat section towards the finish. Three men were in front, and we discussed that we had to catch them before going for a sprint. We've been teammates, so we know each other well. And we know we're the same type of rider. But on the climb, there was little opportunity to talk, I can assure you."

Last question: how will you celebrate this victory at the end of the classic period?
"Actually... I'm flying to Paris to spend tomorrow at Disneyland with my family. My wife told me not to return without a victory because we needed something to celebrate at Disneyland. I'll be walking around with tired legs, but it's great to end this period like this."