Michael Matthews (Team Sunweb) was considered one of the pre-race favourites for victory in the uphill finsh of stage 3 at the Tour de France, and the Australian sprinter lived up to those expectations on the Côte des Religieuses in Longwy.
Matthews surged to the front in the last moments, pushing until the finish line to pass Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) and Daniel Martin (Quick-Step Floors) in the closing metres but falling just short of overtaking Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe).
Afterward, 'Bling' Matthews faced another challenge at the anti-doping truck, trying to deliver a urine sample. It turned out to be difficult, and an hour and a half after the race, Matthews reappeared to answer questions from media.
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The 26-year-old rider explained that this stage was a missed opportunity to get a second-ever Tour de France stage win after his victory in Revel last year.
"I had to come from far back," Matthews said. "I wasn’t well positioned before the climb, unfortunately. I had to make up a lot of ground before the sprint. Simone [Geschke] did a great job to try and close the gap. He couldn’t quite close it, so I had to close the gap to the five guys that were in front, and then still sprint after that. I think I had to work a little bit harder than I would’ve liked to."
When asked if he was disappointed, Matthews claimed he could have won the stage with better positioning.
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