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]

Matthew Stephens
Personal information
Full nameMatthew Stephens
Born (1970-01-04) 4 January 1970
Edgware, London, England
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Team information
Current teamSigma Sports
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider (retired)
Sporting director
Amateur teams
1986–1989Hemel Hempstead CC
1990–1992ACBB Paris
1993Ribble - RT Italia
1994–1997North Wirral Velo
Professional teams
1998Harrods
1999–2001Linda McCartney Racing Team
2001–2011Team Sigma Sport
Major wins
One-day races and Classics
National Road Race Championships (1998)

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, causing some uproar amongst fans of the sport. 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]

Palmarès
1987
1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales
1988
1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales
1st Overall National Junior Road Series [8]
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 World Amateur Road Race Championships
1997
3rd National Road Race Championships
1998
1st National Road Race Championships
2nd Havant International GP
3rd Overall Tour of Greece
1999
1st Tom Simpson Memorial
4th National Road Race Championships
2000
2nd Overall Tour of the Cotswolds
4th Overall Tour de Langkawi
4th National Road Race Championships
8th Overall Tour Down Under
Giro d'Italia (Withdrew) [9]
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[10]
2009
7th Rutland–Melton International CiCLE Classic
2010
2nd Dumfries Bike Fest Grand
9th East Yorkshire Classic[11]

Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour 2000
Giro d'Italia DNF
Tour de France —
Vuelta a España —

References
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Fotheringham, Alasdair (28 February 2017). "Danny Nelissen: The flying Dutchman who conquered the Andes". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  4. "News for October 31, 2001". cyclingnews.com. 31 October 2001. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  5. Golden, Jim (7 January 2010). "Cycling: Stephens targets Tour of Britain". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  6. "2014 Tour de France: Global Cycling Network video preview". RoadBikeReview. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  7. Broughton, Robbie (30 April 2018). "Matt Stephens Leaves GCN". ridevelo.cc. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  8. "British Junior Men's Road Series Winners – The Definitive List". Bikesy.co.uk.
  9. "TALKINGSHOP: MATT STEPHENS /".
  10. McManus, Gerry. "Downing at the double in Welsh weekend of racing". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  11. Hickmott, Larry (18 July 2016). "Report: East Yorkshire Classic". British Cycling. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
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