Jayco-AlUla officials have expressed their disappointment after cyclist Michael Matthews was relegated from the podium of Sunday's Tour of Flanders.
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The Canberra star crossed the line in third place after a tense sprint finish, however he did not end the afternoon standing on the podium.
Instead, Matthews will finish in 11th place after being demoted eight spots for what race officials deemed dangerous sprinting.
The judges ruled the Australian had deviated from his racing line, impeding his rivals in the process. As a result, Nils Politt was promoted from fourth to third.
The prestigious single-day classic was claimed by solo winner Mathieu van der Poel, with Matthews playing a key role in reeling in the remainder of the breakaway before setting up a sprint finish for the minor placings.
The 33-year-old was thrilled to cross the line in third before race officials intervened to dash his excitement.
![Michael Matthews, left, races to the finish line in the Tour of Flanders. Picture Getty Images Michael Matthews, left, races to the finish line in the Tour of Flanders. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/7f85f101-fec2-4093-9f73-cf55d252f933.jpg/r0_536_2572_1915_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A number of Matthews' rivals were surprised by the ruling and European media is reporting Jayco-AiUla is considering a formal appeal.
Team sport director Mat Hayman said it was a disappointing finish to what was an impressive outing from their star cyclist.
"Pretty disappointed," Hayman said.
"It's a roller coaster of emotions there. Micheal did a great final [sprint]. Whether he's relegated or not, looking back on the way he raced the final [sprint] he just absolutely took it on.
"He was on the back foot after [climbing] Koppenberg, lost a lot of spots and then came back. He gave it everything, he opened the sprint early to go after second place, he was third across the line and sadly we have to live with the judge's decision."
The result capped another bittersweet afternoon for Matthews, the cyclist producing an outstanding showing but falling short of the main prize.
The Canberran missed out on a breakthrough win in last month's Milan-San Remo by the barest of margins, beaten in a photo finish by Jasper Philipsen.
Now a post-race intervention has denied Matthews another podium finish in a frustrating run of results, however there can be no denying the form he's currently in as he chases victory in the one-day classics in the European spring.