Bold truth: healthy fear can ignite a career’s second dawn. That risk, and the right response to it, is at the heart of Michael Matthews’ story as he looks toward 2026 with renewed purpose.
Michael Matthews has opened up about a terrifying pulmonary embolism that nearly ended his season—and his life. The experience, he says, has sparked a genuine rebirth of his cycling career heading into 2026.
In a conversation with Cycling News, the Australian rider described how a routine training block at altitude in Livigno last June spiraled from fatigue into a life-threatening emergency. What began as unexplained exhaustion quickly escalated to hospital care, blood thinners, and stark warnings from doctors about the possible outcome.
“I was suddenly in hospital, and I didn’t know if I was going to die that night or survive,” Matthews recalled. “The doctors said that if I’d kept training, I would have killed myself within two days.”
That sudden shock forced him off the Tour de France and upended his mid-season plans. Yet the ordeal didn’t drive him away from cycling; it sharpened his motivation and reshaped his outlook. “I feel like it’s a second opportunity for me in cycling because I realised my career could have been done,” he explained. “I feel it’s a second chance for me to show what I’m really, really capable of.”
A second youth at 35
Matthews extended his contract with Team Jayco AlUla through 2027, and he insists his body and mind feel younger than they have in years. He describes a renewed zest for training and racing, joking that he still behaves like he’s 25 and is enjoying a “second youth.”
“I still feel like I’m 25 and I’m enjoying my second youth,” he said. “I’m still attacking my teammates in training, and I’m usually the one pushing for the extra sessions. The motivation is absolutely there, and I wake up with a massive smile.”
The key, he suggests, lies in lifestyle choices that help him stay fresh. “I don’t drink, I don’t party, I don’t engage in things that age you faster,” he noted. “Maybe that’s helped me stay young and keeps me competitive with the younger talents coming through.”
Despite three months on blood thinners and a careful comeback, Matthews managed a strong late-season run. He resurfaced at the Bretagne Classic, finishing eighth in a sprint, then carried momentum through to the Japan Cup. He also earned a second rainbow jersey with Australia in the Mixed Relay team time trial at the World Championships. “I was just so happy to pin a number on again,” he said.
Big Classics ambition and the long-standing Milan–San Remo frustration
Looking ahead, Matthews will structure a European build-up rather than returning home for the Tour Down Under, with a full focus on the Classics—from Milano–Sanremo to Liège–Bastogne–Liège—as the core of his 2026 plan. The Tour de France remains a primary objective, and the Montreal World Championships in September are a significant target given his past success in Canada.
Yet Milano–Sanremo remains his thorny main goal. “I suppose I have a love–hate relationship with Milano–Sanremo,” he admitted. “It’s a race that suits me and that I’ve done well in the past, but it’s also been cruel to me. You need your cards to fall in the right way; it’s almost a lottery, and it’s never gone my way.”
The course has grown tougher with UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s more aggressive approach in recent years, led by his regular training partner Tadej Pogacar. “It’s become more of an attacking race where it used to be a sprinter’s race, but there’s nothing I can do about that,” he said. “I have to be ready when the attacks come, react to the situation, and hope to finish it off.”
“A rebirth” and a rider who feels nowhere near finished
For Matthews, the trauma of last June didn’t breed fear; it clarified purpose. He isn’t counting down to retirement or rushing to an end date. “The health scare this year was huge, but it has also given me a second chance in cycling,” he said. “I feel it’s a rebirth of my career.”
As he trains at Team Jayco AlUla’s December camp—described as summer in spirit, with threshold efforts already underway—his simple message remains: he’s still smiling, still competitive, and convinced there is more to come.
“The off-season went really well,” he noted. “I’ve probably felt the best I’ve felt in December, so there are likely good things to come this year.”
