Canberra cycling star Michael Matthews returns to Tour Down Under

Now Canberra cycling star Michael Matthews will contest the Tour Down Under for the first time since 2014.

Matthews will form part of an uber-strong Aussie contingent at the UCI WorldTour event in Adelaide from January 13-22.

TDU race director Stuart O'Grady announced on Sunday Matthews, Ben O'Connor and Simon Clarke would join Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley at the men's and women's stage race.

Matthews returned to his best in 2022, not only finishing on the podium at the worlds, but also winning stage 14 of the Tour de France with one of the gutsiest rides of his career.

"We have watched these riders doing amazing things on the world stage for the past few years so it will be exciting for Australian fans to see them up close in January," O'Grady said.

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"These riders, like many young Aussies, had some of their first WorldTour experiences at the Tour Down Under and it is great to see that as their career's progress and grow, they want to come back and be part of this race.

"It's really important to have these local role models to show the next generation of Australian cyclists that this is a dream they can chase."

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