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Since joining 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Orica GreenEdge for the start of the 2013 season, former under 23 world champion 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Michael Matthews has now finished runner-up five times. The Australian was a definitive second place on Wednesday on the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:opening stage of the Tour of Utah and as a former stage winner at the event, BMC's ജeventual victor Greg Van Avermaet, had noted Matthews as a rider to watch on the final circuits.

Orica GreenEdge spearheaded the bid to bring back the day's two-man break of Chris Jones (UnitedHealthcare) and Michael Torckler (Bissell), who attacked in the opening kilometres and at one⛄ point held an advantage of 10 minutes over the peloton before being nullified when the race hit Cedar City for the first time.

Accord🌜ing to Matthews, it was a chase that ultimately𒁏 cost him his first win of the season.

"The finish didn't go exactly to plan," Matthews admitted. "We had to use most of the team to bring back the break today, so we didn't have much a lead-out for the sprint. When Greg slipped away, there wasn't anything we could do without a full lead-out to bring him back. In the end, I could only sprint for sec꧟ond."

Regardless, it was a team e🍃ffort that the 22-year-old was proud of with trainee Damien Howson included in the squad for the firs💖t time.

"I'm happy with the way the team raced," said Matthews. "They put it all on the 🔥line for me. I can't ask for more tha🍬n that from them."

Howson held his own in the chase.

"Baden [Cooke] asked me to start to the ride the front with Tomas [Vaitkus] so that we could pull back the two 𒈔that were up the road," the 20-year-old explained. "I think we went to the front after about 50 or 60km, and I stayed there until we made the catch 6km from the finish. We did a lot of work to bring back that break. It was a good intr🔯oduction to what it's like racing for the team."

Post-stage, Van Avermaet noted that he would never have the speed to match Matthews and so attacked the peloton in the final kilometre to secure his victory. Orica GreenEdge sports director Matt Wilson agreed and is hopeful that the parcours will provide another chance for Matthews to repeat his 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:stage win of 2012 where he edged out BMC pair Michael Schär and Brent Bookwalter in Salt Lake 𓆏City.

"That should give him a lot of confidence going forward," said Wilson. "Of course, I don't know if there will be another sprint day, but we know it's a good opportunity for him if there is. He's got some really good form at the moment, so he may surprise on another stage. Today was not our last chance. I still think our best shot is in Salt Lake City on Friday."