Joining the team in the 2023 season, Matt made the step up to the WorldTour after a solid campaign in the U23 ranks and a particularly impressive 2022 season where he won the mountainous Maurienne Classic, finished 11th on GC at the Tour de l’Avenir, was 7th at a home U23 World Championships, and claimed three further top ten placings on GC.
Matt was around bikes from a young age and got into the sport as a four-year-old by going out with his dad who was training for the Cape Epic mountain bike race at the time. From there he got his own bike and turned his attention to all things two wheels, starting with BMX, downhill and then eventually road racing. He did play cricket and rugby as a youngster, but he eventually chose road racing as his main pursuit – something he hasn’t regretted since, falling more in love with the sport.
“With cycling you get out what you put in. That harder you work, you more you see translate into a result or improved numbers in training. I like chasing my goals and pushing myself to be a better cyclist.”
Like a lot of young cyclists, particularly those in Australia, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a halt to racing for Matt which meant he was searching for ways to constantly improve himself both and on off the bike. It also gave him a lot of time to look inwards on reflect on who he is and where he wants to be in the future.
“I always try and strive for progress and not perfection; there is always something you can improve on.”
Relishing the challenge of moving to the WorldTour, in his first season Matt wanted to be “learning as much as possible”and from that then help the team to some top results, taking on the “challenge”. Doing just that, he impressed many and made his Grand Tour debut at the Tour de France before a heroic ride saw him take a stand-out seventh place at the elite road race World Championships in Glasgow.
Depicting himself as a “self-motivated perfectionist”, Matt says that he always must finish anything that he starts, no matter what it is, to the highest standard he possibly can. He also has a “reserved” character as he’s not the “most eccentric person” and likes to keep to himself a bit – he says he certainly won’t be the person up singing karaoke or something similar.
Someone that truly lives for the sport, Matt claims that he has an “encyclopaedic knowledge” of cycling and jokes that he became a cyclist because he has no other real talents. Interestingly, he grew up in South Africa for a while as a kid and used to work in a bike shop – so we’re sure he’s the guy everyone will turn to for any mechanical help when on group rides.