The 31-year-old ran away with a group of 23 men not far into the 192.5-kilometer race. Matthews was passed on the penultimate hill by Alberto Bettiol, but he made up the ground and eventually won the stage for the fourth time in his Tour de France career.
In spite of challenges from defending champion Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard managed to hang on to the yellow jersey.
Pogacar’s initial attempt to separate the Dane almost immediately after the stage began caused mayhem in the peloton, and he attempted to take time off of him again on the climb up the renowned Cote de la Croix Neuve right before the finish.
However, Vingegaard remained glued to Pogacar’s wheel throughout, and he matched the Slovenian’s pace as he sprinted to the finish.
Even though Geraint Thomas dropped 17 seconds on the top two, he moved up the podium, moving into third place and increasing his lead over Romain Bardet, who also struggled on the final climb, by 18 seconds.
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Matthews, who is more well-known for his speed than his mountain climbing skills, was anticipated to follow suit, but he mustered the strength to earn a historic triumph.
When asked about his performance today, Matthews remarked, “I wanted to show everyone that I am not just a sprinter, I can also ride like I did today.”
“On that final push to the top, all I could think about was my daughter and my wife and the sacrifices they make so that I can pursue my goals.
“Hopefully I was able to demonstrate today the value of our sacrifices to them.
“Today, I did this for my kid. For the sake of my four-year-old daughter, I wanted to explain to her why I travel so often for work. In fact, that day has here.”
Stage 14 Results
- Michael Matthews (Aus/Team BikeExchange-Jayco) 4hrs 30mins 53secs
- Alberto Bettiol (Ita/EF Education-Easypost) +15secs
- Thibaut Pinot (Fra/Groupama – FDJ) +34secs
- Marc Soler (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +50s
- Patrick Konrad (Aut/BORA-hansgrohe) +58s
- Jakob Fuglsang (Den/Israel – Premier Tech) Same time
- Felix Grossschartner (Aut/BORA-hansgrohe) +1:06
- Lennard Kamna (Ger/BORA-hansgrohe) +1:12
- Simon Geschke (Ger/Cofidis) Same time
- Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty)
General Classification After Stage 14
- Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) 55hrs 31mins 01secs
- Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +2mins 22secs
- Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +2mins 43secs
- Romain Bardet (Fra/Team DSM) +3mins 01secs
- Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +4mins 06secs
- Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea-Samsic) +4mins 15secs
- Louis Meintjes (SA/Intermarche-Wanty) +4mins 24secs
- David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ) same time
- Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +8mins 49secs
- Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar) +9mins 58secs
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