For the second day in a row Team Sunweb had reason for celebrations after taking the Tour de France stage 14 victory with Michael Matthews (AUS) sealing the win in Rodez.
Stage 14 was marked as a unique opportunity for Team Sunweb’s sprinter Michael Matthews, with the uphill finish perfectly suiting the 26-year-old Australian. The team were in control throughout the day, always keeping the breakaway within reach. Every move until the finish was marked, showing Team Sunweb’s upmost dedication to their goal; stage success. A stellar performance in a chaotic finale saw Matthews delivered to the uphill finish in optimum position by his team mates and he was then able to finish off their fantastic 180 kilometre effort to seal Team Sunweb’s thirteenth Tour de France stage victory.
“I’m super happy to get the win for the team today,” explained Matthews after the finish. “We were all really focused even though there was a lot of pressure and expectations. The team have worked so hard for the whole Tour de France so for us to take two in a row is incredible and we couldn’t ask for anything more. The dedication from everyone shows how motivated they are and how much they believe in the same shared goal. We’ve prepared and worked so hard hoping to take the win today and we’ve done it, it’s a really special victory for us all.”
Team Sunweb’s Tour de France coach Aike Visbeek (NED) said: “We knew from the beginning that today would be a big chance for Michael and the team and we knew that it was our responsibility to take control. The team had a long, hard day ahead of them but they handled it really well. In the final Michael still had two from the team with him and he finished it off perfectly. It’s an incredible team victory and a reward for everybody’s hard work.”
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