Matthew Stephens (cyclist)
Matthew Stephens (born 4 January 1970) is a British former professional road racing cyclist, who rode as a professional between 1998 and 2011.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Stephens |
| Born | 4 January 1970 Edgware, London, England |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Sigma Sports |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider (retired) Sporting director |
| Amateur teams | |
| 1986–1989 | Hemel Hempstead CC |
| 1990–1992 | ACBB Paris |
| 1993 | Ribble - RT Italia |
| 1994–1997 | North Wirral Velo |
| Professional teams | |
| 1998 | Harrods |
| 1999–2001 | Linda McCartney Racing Team |
| 2001–2011 | Team Sigma Sport |
| Major wins | |
| One-day races and Classics | |
Biography
As a junior rider, Stephens won the Junior Tour of Wales in both 1987 and 1988, one of only two riders to win the race twice. He represented Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, finishing 61st in the road race.[2] Stephens finished 8th in the Amateur World Road Race Championships in 1995, forming part of a break on the second lap of the race alongside eventual winner Danny Nelissen and earning Team GB their squad for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 (automatic qualification for the Games was restricted to nations with finishers in the top 15 of the 1995 World Championships).[3] However, he was not selected for the Olympic Road Race team that year. He became the British National Road Race Champion in 1998. After this he turned professional with the British-based Harrods team in 1998, before riding for the Linda McCartney Racing Team in 1999 until their demise in February 2001. During the 2000 3-week Giro d'Italia race he battled through with injuries from a fall, earning media admiration. He rode for Sigma Sport between 2001 and 2011, acting as rider/manager from 2010 onwards. He combined his racing at Sigma Sport with a career in the police with Cheshire Constabulary, which he joined in 2001.[4][5] A broken knee in the 2011 Paris-Troyes ended his racing career.
Since retiring from racing, he has written for various websites as well as being the 'specialist' on ITV4's Halfords Tour Series and Tour of Britain coverage, and commentating on live races for British Cycling's Premier Calendar and Eurosport. He also worked as a presenter for Global Cycling Network, a YouTube channel backed by Shift Active Media.[6] On 24 April 2018, he announced on the weekly Global Cycling Network (GCN) show that he would leave GCN, shifting his focus to race commentary work and live events.[7] Since 2018, he has presented "Matt Stephens Cafe Ride" for the Sigma Sports Youtube Channel. During these episodes he interviews a figure from the world of cycling during a cycle ride and "cafe stop" [8]
Major results
- 1987
- 1st
Overall Junior Tour of Wales - 1988
- 1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales
- 1st Overall National Junior Road Series [9]
- 1989
- 1st Hessen Rundfahrt
- 1993
- 1st Overall Tour of the Peak
- 1994
- 3rd National Amateur Criterium Championships
- 1995
- 1st Tom Simpson Memorial
- 3rd Rás Tailteann
- 7th Road race, UCI Road World Amateur Championships
- 1997
- 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
- 1998
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 2nd Havant International GP
- 3rd Overall Tour of Greece
- 1999
- 1st Tom Simpson Memorial
- 4th Road race, National Road Championships
- 2000
- 2nd Overall Tour of the Cotswolds
- 4th Overall Tour de Langkawi
- 4th Road race, National Road Championships
- 8th Overall Tour Down Under
- Giro d'Italia (withdrew) [10]
- 2001
- 1st Manx Trophy
- 3rd Lincoln International GP
- 3rd Tour of the Peak
- 2002
- 2nd Neil Gardner Memorial
- 2003
- 3rd Havant International GP
- 1st Overall Tour of Northumberland
- 3rd Stage 2
- 2006
- 1st Worcester St Johns RR
- 3rd Overall Tour of the Reservoir
- 3rd Rydale GP
- 2007
- 3rd East Yorkshire Classic Roadrace
- 2008
- 4th Grand Prix of Wales[11]
- 2009
- 7th Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic
- 2010
- 2nd Dumfries Bike Fest Grand
- 9th East Yorkshire Classic[12]
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 2000 |
|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia |
DNF |
| Tour de France |
— |
 Vuelta a España |
— |
References
- Atkins, Ben (12 December 2011). "IG Markets steps in as title sponsor for Sigma Sport-Specialized in 2012". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Matthew Stephens Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- Fotheringham, Alasdair (28 February 2017). "Danny Nelissen: The flying Dutchman who conquered the Andes". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "News for October 31, 2001". cyclingnews.com. 31 October 2001. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- Golden, Jim (7 January 2010). "Cycling: Stephens targets Tour of Britain". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- "2014 Tour de France: Global Cycling Network video preview". RoadBikeReview. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- Broughton, Robbie (30 April 2018). "Matt Stephens Leaves GCN". ridevelo.cc. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- Matt Stephens Cafe Ride Episode 1 - Nick Craig | Sigma Sports, retrieved 6 March 2023
- "British Junior Men's Road Series Winners – The Definitive List". Bikesy.co.uk.
- "TALKINGSHOP: MATT STEPHENS /".
- McManus, Gerry. "Downing at the double in Welsh weekend of racing". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- Hickmott, Larry (18 July 2016). "Report: East Yorkshire Classic". British Cycling. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
External links
- Matthew Stephens at Cycling Archives
- "Matt Stephens Cafe Ride" at Sigma Sports Youtube