In just his second race back from a crash that left him with nasty facial injuries, Canberra cycling star Michael Matthews sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Tour of Catalonia in Spain on Wednesday.
The win moved the Team Sunweb rider up to third overall in the general classification, two minutes and 48 seconds behind leader Thomas De Gendt.
Canberra cycling star Michael Matthews sprints to victory in the second stage of the Tour of Catalonia.Credit:EPA/Toni Albir
Spanish Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde is second, just one second ahead of Matthews.
While Matthews crashed out of Paris-Nice two weeks ago, it was four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome who had a bad fall with 40 kilometres remaining in the second stage – although he made it to the finish.
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After the 166.7km stage from Mataro to Sant Feliu De Guixols, Matthews revealed he'd suffered two fractures in his eye socket, a cut lip and a chipped tooth from his Paris-Nice fall, where there were also concerns about concussion.
"I positioned myself near Valverde as I thought he was the favourite for the day," he said.
"I timed my sprint really well, startRead More – Source
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