Michael Matthews has been forced to put his career on hold after showing signs of a pulmonary embolism, Jayco AlUla announced on Friday, ruling him out of this summer's Tour de France which begins on 5 July.
A short update from the 34-year-old’s team explained that he would be taking time off the bike while the extent of the medical condition is explored.
"During a recent altitude training camp, GreenEdge cycling medical team discovered signs of a pulmonary embolism and have subsequently decided to pause all physical activity for the rider until further notice as a precautionary measure," a medical update on Matthews, shared on social media, read.
According to the NHS, a pulmonary embolism is when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the lungs. Symptoms can include sudden breathing difficulties, chest pain, and occasionally coughing up blood. The condition can be caused by a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or blood clot initially forming elsewhere, particularly in a person's legs.
"Matthews' health condition is stable," the update from Jayco AlUla continued. "The medical team are now thoroughly investigating the extent of the issue and possible cause to define a safe and optimal recovery process for the athlete.
"During this period of investigation, as a safeguarding measure, Matthews will refrain from competition to ensure there is no risk to his health and wellbeing, therefore ruling out his participation in the upcoming Tour de France."
Matthews won his last race that he competed in on 1 May, triumphing in a sprint at the German one-day race Eschborn-Frankfurt. He also finished fourth at Milan-San Remo in March and fifth at the Amstel Gold Race in other notable results.
The Australian is a four-time Tour de France stage winner; he also won the points classification in 2017. As well as his success at the French Grand Tour, he has stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España to his name.
Other victories on Matthews’ palmarès include a trio of victories at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, with the most recent coming last year. He is currently ranked 26th in the UCI world rankings.
