Michael Matthews (BikeExchange-Jayco) made it two runner-up finishes from two outings in Longwy, the scene of his second-placed finish to Peter Sagan in 2017. The main thing that changed was the manner of the performance as he finished behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).
In 2017, it was a more explosive effort up the final climb, on this occasion, a series of tough ascents and narrow roads had seen a hard pace forced on the uphills and crashes on the downhills as the riders fought out a frenetic finish.
It was only an elite selection left by the final kilometre as UAE Team Emirates led out the race for Pogačar, with Matthews positioned on his wheel. In the final corner, things became messy as a surge of riders came from behind and Matthews wasn't securely locked in behind Pogačar.
Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) started the sprint, but once Pogačar began his, it was clear the two-time Tour de France champion was in a class of his own, despite a battling performance from Matthews that saw him ride to second on the day.
Matthews, who is good friends with Pogačar with both living in Monaco, was the first to congratulate the young Slovenian phenom after the finish. The pair shared an embrace, the shattered Matthews contrasted with the exuberant buoyancy of Pogačar. Matthews shouted in frustration after breaking from the scrum surrounding the stage winner, still raw with the close defeat.
“I tried, I tried everything today and in the end it was second," said Matthews in a team statement. "The team did a great job positioning me into the final and all day long. It was hard out there and in the final, I just had to believe in myself and try to fight for that victory.
“I knew the wheel to be on was Tadej’s and I think it was Pidcock fighting me for the wheels I thought we were maybe at the front a little too early so I let him in, and he couldn’t follow the wheel in the final and so Tadej got a gap and I had to try and run at him, but it was too late in the end.”
BikeExchange-Jayco’s leader for the Tour de France on the flat stages is Dylan Groenewegen, while Matthews looks to be getting more of a free rein on the intermediate hilly stages. Ahead of the race, head sports director Matt White said he thought it would be a day for the breakaway and the team were active in trying to be part of the move, before then contributing to the chase of the three-man attack that eventually whittled its way down to just van Aert.
"We were all trying to get in the breakaway today, we wanted to have numbers in there to fight for the victory,” said Matthews in an interview with SBS. “It was a long day to put guys on the front to pull when we weren't exactly sure what the GC teams were going to do, if they were going to light it up or not and it might have been too hard for me. In the end it turned out alright with just the 3 guys going."
Matthews talked of measuring his energy for selected stages, after being caught up behind the crash that took out fellow Australians Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) on Stage 5 and saw Matthews out of contention for the day’s win.
"Yesterday I was fighting for the victory but the big crash happened with Caleb in the finale,” said Matthews, “so I got caught in a split and realised my race was over, so saved the legs for today instead."
The Tour de France continues with Stage 7, the first mountain stage of the race, finishing atop the Planche des Belles Filles. The race broadcast starts at 8.55pm AEST on the SBS ŠKODA Tour Tracker, with the SBS television coverage starting at 9.30pm AEST.
