Matthews and Plapp more emotional than winning teammate in Tour de France: 'What more could you want?'
CyclingFriday, 17 July 2026 at 23:35
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Follow us on GoogleJayco AlUla was among the many teams that had yet to win a stage in this Tour de France, but that changed on Friday. Mauro Schmid took the victory after executing a textbook tactical move in the 57-rider breakaway. Michael Matthews and Luke Plapp were also in that group and played a key role as well, which they discussed afterward.
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'It was gruelling,' Matthews panted to Eurosport. 'We weren’t exactly lucky from the start, but at least Mauro was well positioned in a large group of more than thirty riders. That was after about 20 or 30 kilometres into the stage. We thought it was a great situation, but there were simply too many riders in the group to leave Mauro there on his own.'
‘When the peloton split open again behind us, the three of us — Plappie, Benno (O’Connor, ed.) and I — made a move towards the breakaway. We wanted to make sure we were as strongly represented as possible at the front. And well, what more could you ask for? We finished it off brilliantly,’ said the Aussie.
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Matthews proud of his own comeback
Matthews himself has won several stages in the Tour de France, so he knows what a victory like this means. “We’ve been waiting for this for so long. We have an incredibly strong team here with so many great riders who are perfectly suited for these kinds of stages. I’m truly incredibly proud that Mauro pulled it off for us.”
"This is what we've been looking for right from the start. In the early stages, maybe one person would have a good day and the rest would have a bad one, but today everyone was in top form. This is what we were looking for and what we’ve worked so hard for,” continued the team leader, who has also been through his share of challenges in recent years.
Last year, he suffered a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism, and this spring he collided with a truck, resulting in a double wrist fracture. “For me personally, it’s great to be back at this level and racing against the best riders in the world, especially after everything I’ve been through over the past two years.”
"I really can't ask any more of you right now. I've worked so hard to get to this point. The fact that I'm racing here again, seeing a teammate win a stage, and maybe even having a shot at a stage win myself... Well, what more could you want?” concludes the visibly moved puncher.
Schmid reacts calmly after Tour de France victory
Naturally, Schmid was delighted too, but whilst Matthews fought back tears and Plapp let out a cry of joy, the Swiss rider stood there very matter-of-factly after the race, emptying a small water bottle down his throat. He remained stoic during the flash interview as well, just as he had been whilst winning the stage. ‘I still can’t quite believe it,’ he did admit.
‘It was an incredibly tough day right from the start and as a team we were hugely motivated to be in the mix,’ said Schmid. ‘We’d already tried a few times over the past few days, but it hadn’t worked out until now. I felt great right from the start and gave it my all. My team-mates did a fantastic job of getting me into the right position. All I had to do was follow.’
Matthews and O’Connor did the hard work, whilst Plapp tried to break away on his own for a moment. When that didn’t work, he gave it his all for Schmid. ‘I thought about last year several times in the final,’ said the winner, who lost to Jonas Abrahamsen in a two-man sprint from the breakaway last year. ‘I got cramp 4 kilometres from the finish and I started my sprint a little too late.’
For a moment, Schmid thought it was slipping through his fingers again, but with more staying power than Harold Tejada, he proved to be the strongest after all. ‘When I saw the finish line, I regained my energy. This is a 100 per cent team victory. I’m the lucky one who gets to stand on the podium, but this is the result of the whole team’s efforts. For a moment, I was worried that Ben was going too hard on the Ballon d’Alsace, but I chose my moment.’
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Qué tragedia. Muito respeito para a família. The investigator’s timeline helps, but still feels like a systemic safety failure on open-road races during descents.jeremya16-08-2026
- - Can someone explain what the broom wagon actually signifies? If it hadn’t passed, why was a civilian car allowed on course at all? I’m confused how those protocols work when riders are scattered.tourdeforce916-08-2026
- - Sorry, but this reads a bit like passing the buck. If signage was the only control at that junction, that’s not enough. A single marshal could have prevented this. Operational plan might’ve been followed, but was it adequate?gearguru3316-08-2026
- - If the GNR says it’s “humanly impossible” to cover every access point, shouldn’t organisers rethink neutral service positioning or add mobile motos for gaps on fast descents? This was a secondary access, but speed on that downhill made it primary in practice.jennifer1916-08-2026
- - Heartbreaking. The detail about the broom wagon not yet passing is crucial—explains why Finlay thought the road was still sealed. Condolences to his family and team. RIP Fin.robert6516-08-2026
- - Tears on the front row for NSN… goosebumps. Chapeau to the bunch for letting them lead the pace. Esto es el verdadero espíritu del ciclismo.julien15-08-2026
- - Not sure about the “put it in perspective” line referencing other deaths. I get what he meant, but it lands a little cold in this context. The sport must own its safety issues.jeremya15-08-2026
- - Sorry, bit confused—how was Tarling racing Portugal but commemorated in Norway? Are there multiple races at the same time and teams pay tribute across events?robert6515-08-2026
- - Poels speaks from a place of pain, you can feel it. Losing Gino still casts a shadow. His point about rising frequency of tragedies is worrying—UCI needs to accelerate road safety reforms, motos, convoy management, and race routing.sprocketspiny15-08-2026
- - Heartbreaking. RIP Finlay. The neutralised start and minute’s silence in Norway were handled with real class by the peloton.patriciaw15-08-2026
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