It will be the first time since 2016 that the 29-year-old rides for GreenEdge - who from this season will be known as Team BikeExchange - after a four-year stint with Team Sunweb.
Matthews went on to record a number of strong results for the German-based outfit, including two stage wins and the green jersey at the 2017 Tour de France and several WorldTour one-day victories
However, the Aussie sprinter endured a difficult season in 2020 with Sunweb making the shock to leave the Canberra product off their Tour roster.
It was a decision which came as a shock to Matthews and forced him to consider his future despite still having 12 months to run on his Sunweb contract.
“When I was going through the hard times during the start of last year I was speaking with Gerry (Team BikeExchange owner Gerry Ryan) and Whitey (Team BikeExchange sporting director Matthew White) quite a bit. They were super supportive and have been people I’ve remained very close even after leaving the team,” Matthews said.
“I came to the decision to see if there was a possibility of me coming back to GreenEdge and the feedback I got from both Matt and Gerry was incredible.
“They were so positive and gave me the feeling that even though I was going through tough times they still believed in me to win the biggest races in the world.
“That belief in me and my abilities as a rider was the biggest thing that brought me back.”
While there has been more than just a name change at Team BikeExchange since his departure four years ago, Matthews says the team culture and a few familiar faces have made him feel like he had never left.
He believes his maturity as a rider combined with the comfort of being back in a familiar team environment has set him up for a strong year in the saddle.
“I feel like coming back to GreenEdge was what I needed for this part of my career,” Matthews said.
“The best thing for me is that I feel I can just be myself here. I don’t need to try to be somebody I’m not, which is probably the best you can get out of me.
“I think I can bring a lot to the team. I’ve learned a lot about myself, how I can be better physically and mentally through different parts of the year which hopefully will be converted into race results.
“Gerry and Matt have a solid plan for this team, and I think we are building up to something. The team has done very well putting in the stepping stones to help guys achieve their dreams and it is that pathway to success which I have always enjoyed.
