Michael Matthews sprinted to victory on the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya on Monday, edging out Sonny Colbrelli in a slight uphill finish.
The BikeExchange rider claimed his first win since 2020 and took the early race lead.
“It’s been a long time without a victory for me now, so to come back to a finish that I knew well from a couple of years ago, to now win again, it means so much,” said Matthews. “My wife and dog are here to support me today and it’s just so nice to cross the finish line and to be able to give my wife a massive hug.”
“This course suits me quite well; a hard race and then an uphill sprint to the finish. I think knowing the finish from a couple of years ago also helped me,” he said.
The success continued Matthews’ recent return to form after his fourth-place finish in the Milano-Sanremo at the weekend.
Tuesday’s second stage will be a 202.5km ride from L’Escala to Perpignan as the race moves into France.
