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Just before Marcel Kittel abandoned and Michael Matthews became the leader of the 2017 Tour’s points classification, we spoke to the Australian’s wife to try and get some insight into the rider who is likely to become the third Australian to win the green jersey…
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He’s won two stages this year and three in total and, if all goes to plan in the final few stages of the 2017 Tour de France, Michael Matthews will win the green jersey.
Katarina Matthews is part of a strong partnership. Not only is she Michael’s wife, the pair work hard on ensuring he is in the best possible condition – physically and mentally – to do his job to the best of his ability.
But she doesn’t give herself the title of “manager” even if Katarina does manage much of the details associated with the life of a pro bike rider.
We spoke while stage 17 was being contested and got some insight into their collaborative effort of a career that is very much a work in progress.
Shortly after our discussion Marcel Kittel unclipped from his pedals and pulled to the side of the road. The German who won five stages earlier in the race and has dominated the points classification has abandoned the race and that puts Matthews in the green jersey at the end of the day.
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Click the SoundCloud to listen to our exchange and/or read the transcript below…
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(Search the ridemedia.com.au site for more on Matthews.)
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Q&A Katarina Matthews
RIDE: You’re in Monaco at the moment, watching [the race] on the television, is that right?
Katarina Matthews: “Yeah, I’m in Monaco, at home and just watching the stage. It’s pretty awesome seeing Michael in a break today. It’s really nice to see.”
We understand that you have a fair influence on his career. What do you call yourself? Are you his ‘manager’?
“No, I’m his wife…
“I think if you’re in a relationship with somebody and you love him so much, it’s sort of your role to be supportive in anyway. And that’s what I’m trying to do, support him in any way he wants to me to do. So I’m ‘just a wife’.”
When he won his first stage this year, he made a comment that he and his wife – you – put “a lot of effort into this win”. Can you explain the effort that goes into something like the Tour de France for a couple like yourselves?
“I think it’s years of work. You can’t say it’s a few months.
“Since we are together, it was the time when Michael was in Rabobank and we sacrificed quite a lot of things for his cycling. So we moved away: we both are living away from our families… in Monaco.
“Basically we do all the training camps together and so on.
“I think in all the years we’ve been together it’s all the sacrifice for these wins. I think that’s what he meant.
“It all sinks in when you win. When you are not winning and everything, it’s really hard but when you win you appreciate everything that you did for it.”
I know that you were pretty keen for him to go to Sunweb because it’s a team that rides Shimano for a start, and you’ve got an association with Shimano, is that right?
“Yeah, I used to work in the European headquarters for Shimano and I have known the team director, Iwan Spekenbrink, and his wife for years because I’ve been in touch with them when I used to work with the team.
“When Iwan contacted us with the offer, it was much easier for us to decide because we knew how the team works and what the atmosphere is [like] there and how they treat the boys.
“Yeah, it was sort of easier for us to decide than going to something which is unknown.”
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Matthews upon hearing confirmation of his win in stage 16 at the 2017 Tour.
Photo: Léon van Bon
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Today we see him out collecting more intermediate sprint points. He’s only nine points away from the green jersey (note: we spoke 15 minutes before Kittel abandoned) and Kittel has had a crash. Do you anticipate arriving in Paris to welcome your husband in a green jersey?
“Uhm, it’s still a few stages until Paris. Marcel is a really, really strong competitor to be honest.
“We know him and his girlfriend Tess and we really like them. They’re really nice people and it’s also a bit weird for us to be ‘rivals’ at this moment but I guess that’s cycling. There’s not much you can do about it but anything can happen.
“For me personally, I’m happy that he’s happy. [Michael] is finally enjoying the bike riding which you can obviously see. That he is not giving up, is more than winning at the moment.
“If he comes [to Paris] in green, that would be something unbelievable but if he doesn’t, he did so well so far anyway.”
What have you taken out of the Tour. I know that when he wins his stages, you’re always in transit so you don’t get to see the victories: three times you’ve done that now. Are you going to start travelling on the day to Salon de Provence?
“Yeah, I was thinking yesterday that I might go driving every day until Paris because it seems like I never see any of these stages that he wins.
“I was visiting Michael in Toulouse a few days ago and I said to Michael, ‘I wish one day I be at the race when you actually win. But I guess it didn’t happen so far… I don’t really mind if I see it or not, as long as he’s happy and he gets his win and he’s doing really well.
“I always watch it afterwards or he gives me a call and it makes me happy.”
It’s been eluded to but we know that there’s a strong friendship between Michael and Richie [Porte] and I know that you know Richie and his wife very well because you live nearby. Have you seen Richie since his return to Monaco and have you spoken to him about the race that’s ongoing?
“I actually visited Richie the day Michael won the [14th] stage. It’s really upsetting seeing him like that because we sort of were thinking – not thinking… believing – that Richie would be on the top of the podium. He’s super strong this year.
“He was really going to make the Tour de France really interesting and I think both of them were sort of hoping for [a repeat of] the [2016] Paris-Nice podium when Richie was in yellow and Michael was in green…
“So seeing Richie at home, and he basically can’t move so much… and that’s the worst side of cycling I think and we really feel sorry for him.
“That’s the things you can’t really influence but it’s really hard to deal with it so we really feel sorry for him. But I think all bad things happen for a reason and I’m sure he will come back even stronger and he will get that yellow jersey for sure.”
And, just to conclude, on that topic: when the race is on and you know something like what happened to Richie can happen to your husband, do you watch through closed fingers? How do you take in your cycling?
“I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it like that. It’s really hard and every single time things like that happen – as you know – and I’m always travelling so when the crash happened at the Tour in 2015 and Michael broke those three ribs, I was actually on a plane and it was landing. One of the other wives messaged me and said, ‘I hope Michael is okay, that looked really nasty.’
“So I straight away messaged her back, I’m like: ‘Just tell me if he’s okay.’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah, he’s okay. He’s back on the bike…’
“I didn’t see it but those are the moments when – at that moment – you don’t really like the sport. But I guess it’s part of it and you have to deal with it.”
I said that was the last one but I wonder if you can give me one little bit of insight into Michael that hasn’t been reported on often. Is there’s something that’s particularly peculiar about him?
“I don’t know. Not really. No.”
He’s a simple guy. He doesn’t seem to live up to his nickname. I guess the question about the nickname could apply here. Do you like him being called ‘Bling’ – and does he like being called ‘Bling’?
“He likes being called Bling. For me, at the beginning, I’m am the opposite person to that kind of thing. So I don’t really like having shiny things or things like that. So I think that opposites come together.
“But he’s not really like that. It’s more his personality in that way in that he’s really happy, funny.
“You might see him at a race when he’s super focussed and everything – really serious. But at home, if you would be with us for a few hours, you’d see him dancing and singing. He’s really, really funny. So I think, in that way, he’s shiny. He’s like a little cheeky kid.”
Katarina, thanks for having a little chat about your husband.
“No worries… thank you.”
– Interview by Rob Arnold
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