The 21-year-old is Orica-GreenEdge’s first new signing for 2013, although sporting director Matt White told Cyclingnews that the team only had one more potential spot to fill.
“Michael has joined us on a multiple-year deal. Most of our riders were on two-year deals anyway and so we only had one spot to fill. There may be one more but we’re not looking to fill that at the moment,” he told Cyclingnews.
Matthews has enjoyed success at Rabobank, winning a stage of the Tour Down Under in 2011 and a stage of the Tour of Utah this year. White believes he has untapped potential for the future.
“He’s a very versatile rider. He can climb a bit and of course has a great sprint finish. I think in the coming years we could see him develop as a rider for the week-long stage races too. He’s a big talent,” White added.
Matthews said in a team press release: "I chose Orica-GreenEdge for several reasons. Most importantly, it will be an amazing experience to be a part of an Australian team. I really look forward to racing with and learning from some of the best Australian riders in the world."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
