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After a superb Giro d'Italia this May followed by a training crash ending his hopes of making a Tour de France debut, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Michael Matthews (168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Orica-GreenEdge) continued his rollercoaster season with an emphatic 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Vuelta a Espana 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:stage win on Monday and the leader's jersey to boot.

Matthews timed his effort perfectly on the 1.8-kilometre uphꦇill finish climb at Arcos de la Frontera, completing the course by coming around Dan Martin (Garmin-Sharp) to claim his fourth win of the season. He is also the first Australian leader of the Vuelta since Cadel Evans back in 2009.

Matthews was lying eighth at six seconds prior to stage 2 thanks to Orica-GreenEdge's strong team time trial, and as one of the favourites for stage 3, he had asked his team to work hard for t🅺he stage win.

"I can't ask for much more, we were the favourites to win in the final, and we had to use all my guys to bring ✱the break back. They rode so hard I don't think all of them have finished yet," ‘Bling', as he is nicknamed, said afterwards.

"They put me perfectly in position, it would not be possible without them. [Chris] Froome (Team Sky) and [Dan]ဣ Martin (Garmin-Sharp) were chasing hard and I got on his [Martin's] wheel and came over him൩ in the final. It was a 110 percent effort. We delivered it as we planned."

Asked if he had built his season around doing so well in two Grand Tours - leading in the Giro as well as taking a stage win on M🏅onte Cassino - then winning in the Vuelta, Matthews said he had not started the season aiming to race in Italy and Spain.

"To be honest, when the year started, I didn't know I was doing the Giro or the Vuelta. The plan was just to do the Tour, but now the back-up plan was perhaps even bౠetter than what the Tour could have been."

"Everything happens for a reason, you get smashed down sometimes and it's not the end of the world if you have a bad crash, and you hᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚave to believe in your training to come back stronger."

The winner of two stages in the Vuelta last year -꧙ his first in a Grand Tour - Matthews says has has no idea how long he can keep the jersey. "I haven't looked too far ahead, hopefully I didn't use up all my energy on today's stage. We wanted stage wins for me, we didn't plan on getting the red jersey too, so from now on ever𝔉ything is a bonus."

"We've got our GC rider, Esteban Chaves" - just 17 seconds back, in ꦇsixth place overall - "and our🌃 climber, Adam Yates, so hopefully there'll be more stage wins and success to come."

Matthews earned some notable praise from former R🐭abobank team-mate Oscar Freire, now retired but commentating for a Spanish radio station, COPE, on the Vuelta.

"He's a greaꦦt rider, and after all that work the team deserved the win today," the former triple World Champion said. "Whilst it's not easy for him in big bunch sprints, in hard uphill stages likeꦅ today's, he really does well."