Early recognition of the rider’s talents led to the high profile signing by Dutch ProTeam
Rabobank director, Frans Maassen, admits to the Dutch superteam’s website, Rabo Sport, that he was somewhat surprised to get the signature of budding Australian star, Michael Matthews.
In an interesting moment of frankness, Maassen concedes that it was the team’s early identification of the rider’s talents that likely gave them a lead in the race for the signature from the 20 year old.
“We were tipped off that he could be a very good rider. We started following him at the Tour Down Under and continued to monitor him pretty well. We had a contract offer to him pretty early.”
Maassen gives credit to team director, Erik Breukink, for pulling the Australian talent to the Dutch formation. The early contact with Matthews and nurturing of the relationship between team and rider ended extremely well, with not only a contract, but also a World Championship victory for the Australian at home.
“For me at any rate [it was a surprise]. Breukink did very well. Eventually, he became World Champion. It’s nice of course if you’ve scouted someone and they come good like that.”
Matthews confirms the early and solid contact with Rabobank, something that meant a lot to the developing rider.
“They’ve been following me since the start of the year. Erik Breukink was a really good guy at the start of the year at the Tour Down Under. We had a lot of good chats over the course of the year. He kept up with my progress throughout the year. He told me my program for next year, and it sounded really good for my progression as a pro cyclist, so it seemed really good for my future and next year. The next two years should be really exciting with Rabobank.”
While there will be big hopes for Matthews in his first year at the highest level, Maassen concedes that Matthews may need some time to find where he’s most comfortable. There’s no question that the rider has talent to spare, but in which direction will he go? His abilities in a sprint are unquestioned, but results like 8th place overall at the Tour de l’Avenir indicate a rider that can get over hills with the best in the world.
“I think he needs to find himself a little. His greatest strength lies in the sprint, but he can also do a pretty good time trial and climb too.”
Matthews’s neo pro season with Rabobank will begin very early – just a day after New Year’s. The reigning U23 World Champion will take part in the Jayco Bay Series from January 2-5. The all-around talent with an explosive sprint will be a big favorite in the Bay Series.
Matthews will have a hard go of it if he hopes to take the win. He’ll toe the line with a number of Australia’s best in the hotly contested criterium series – Richie Porte, Allan Davis, and Baden Cooke are all slated to race according to Wielerland.nl.
After that, the Australian National Championships and the Tour Down Under will follow.