Veteran Australian Mathew Hayman will continue to hand down his invaluable wisdom from 15 years of professional cycling to the up and coming stars of ORICA-GreenEDGE in a new deal that will see him stay at the team for another two seasons.

Hayman joined the Australian outfit from Team Sky in 2013 and has most recently demonstrated his worth at the Vuelta a Espana where he lead and mentored Esteban Chaves and Caleb Ewan to three stage wins and fifth overall.

“I have been here two years now and it was a big move to come but I have really enjoyed my time so far,” Hayman said. “I have been a part of some great wins and for me it wasn’t a hard decision to return again.

“I don’t think when I turned professional I thought there would ever be an Australian team, certainly not at this level.  It’s exciting, it’s young and it’s dynamic so hopefully I have something to add to that.

“We have a really good mix of guys now and we seem to be able to win on all fronts and all terrains and that’s exciting.”

Whilst many see the obvious leadership and influence of Hayman amongst the ORICA-GreenEDGE squad, there is no question the personal fire still burns within the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist.

“I still get excited about riding the Belgian Classics,” the 37-year-old said. “If you don’t have any personal ambition it’s hard to do all the training.

“The Classics are tough and it’s really tough to get onto the podium. In the next two years I hope I can have a stellar year and achieve that.

“I am still ambitious for my own results but I take a lot of satisfaction out of helping the young guys and I hope that they enjoy it and take it all onboard too.”

Sport director Matt White acknowledged that contribution to ORICA-GreenEDGE’s developing riders.

‘Mat is one of the most experienced guys still racing,” White said. “Next year will be his 16th season as a professional so he obviously has a wealth of knowledge.”

“We have been in little bit of a transitional phase with a lot of the older guys coming to the end of their career but with the role that Mat plays, it’s crucial that he is around the young guys to pass that knowledge and information on.

“The Flemish Classics are a personal passion of his and that’s not going to stop. I think he has some un-ticked boxes up there, especially with something like Paris-Roubaix and again the knowledge he has is invaluable for that group around him there.”

Mathew Hayman
Date of birth: 20th April 1978 (37)
Nationality: Australian
Turned pro: 2000

Palmares:
- 1st 2006 Commonwealth Games – Road Race