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The Australian battled his way into the second group over the Poggio that chased down the escapees Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, and then led out the sprint on Via Roma to put his name to the fore in the battle for victory.
Jasper Philipsen followed Matthews, and then loomed alongside, making his run down the barriers. Matthews being ahead, could have continued his sprinting motion to the side to shut down the Belgian’s threat, but he sportingly opted not to.
"I could have closed him to the barrier but I want to ride a fair sprint," Matthews said.
"I want to win because I was the strongest, not because he had to brake. If he was able to come past he was the better rider on the day."
Matthews lost his sunglasses in tumult of the final sprint, potentially the difference-maker in a victory determined by such fine margins.
"I'm not sure if people saw but my glasses fell off with 50 metres to go and I had to stop pedalling for a second," Matthews said. "That's when Philipsen came past me. It sucks but I can't change it now."
The 33-year-old had an interrupted preparation for the race after withdrawing from Paris-Nice due to illness. However, he took his best result in the ‘sprinter’s monument’, which did come down to a small group sprint in what has become an increasingly rare outcome.
It was Matthews’ third time on the Milan-San Remo podium, his best result so far, and his sixth top-10 finish in the Italian race.
"It went fast," Matthews said of the race, which was run a record speed. "With so many guys going up the road, it was always going to be a fast day. We expected UAE to be stronger but they bluffed a lot. That opened up to a different race.
"This time last week I was sitting on the couch not knowing if I'd even start Milan-San Remo. I was grateful I had legs. I positioned myself well in the sprint. I didn't realise how reduced the bunch was.
“When I saw that Lidl-Trek had a good lead-out, I focused on them and my own sprint. I knew that Philipsen was on my wheel and tough to beat because he's possibly the fastest guy in the world at the moment."
Matthews is set to ride the major classics, with the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold Race, Fleche-Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege on the Australian’s schedule at present.
