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Cycling crash forces Matthews out of race

Australian cycling star Michael Matthews has withdrawn from Strade Bianche in Italy because of a shoulder injury.

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Source: AAP


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Australia's reigning cyclist of the year Michael Matthews is on the sidelines in Europe because of a shoulder injury.

Team Sunweb have announced that Matthews is out of Saturday's Strade Bianche in Italy.

It is also unclear whether he will be ready for the Tirreno Adriatico stage race, also in Italy, from March 7-13.

Matthews crashed last weekend at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium and was able to finish the race.

But Team Sunweb doctor Anko Boelens said post-race tests showed Matthews had a fracture in his left shoulder.

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"Because the fragment is not displaced, surgery, in this case, is not required," the doctor added.

"Michael will need to take some rest and afterwards undergo physiotherapy before restarting training on the rollers.

"Much is dependent on improvement over the next days, but at the moment we can certainly say that Strade Bianche on Saturday is not possible.

"The healing process and Michael's pain levels will determine when he can return to the bike.

"After the weekend we will re-evaluate for his upcoming races and see if Tirreno is realistic."

After Tirreno Adriatico, Matthews' major early-season goal is the March 17 Milan-San Remo, the first of cycling's annual one-day monuments.


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