Date: 10 February 2025
The Hagens Berman Jayco Cycling Team added one of Great Britain’s most promising juniors, Matthew Cole, to the 2024 roster. Matty joined the Axeon squad from Beeston Cycling Club.
“Joining Hagens Berman Jayco is pretty mint,” said an elated Matty. “I first heard about the team back in the U16 category from YouTube and I've followed the team ever since. It was really cool when I was told there was a spot for me - nothing has motivated me more through my physio [three months ago, Matty suffered a crash while racing and broke his left femur in one place and his right tibia/fibula in two places] than the idea of performing for this team on the biggest stage!”
Matty’s Palmares:
2023 Gipuzkoa Klasikoa - 1st place general classification
2022 Hatherleigh Junior Road Race - 1st place
The 20-year-old from Yorkshire, England describes himself as an all-around rider that can “climb well over both short and long climbs but I can also ride strongly on flat or rolling terrain with a strong sprint from a reduced group,” he said. “Last year’s cycling highlight was being able to return to my best after the huge injury; I see that as a huge achievement and it took a lot of hard work. The best thing I learned was that being able to adapt to any situation mentally and physically is far more valuable than achievements and that can be carried into any aspect of your life. I’m looking forward to seeing where my potential really is, moving up to the next level against the best u23s in the world.”
“Matthew is the type of rider I was looking for in a young rider,” said team owner and director Axel Merckx. “He had good results as a junior but also a clear growth margin. Despite the fact of his bad crash at the end of the season in 2023, Mathew has time to come back and continue his development in our structure.”
