Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome says Michael Matthews has already cemented his place as one of the world's best sprinters, backing the Canberra cyclist to continue a rapid rise next year.
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Matthews added another prize to his already remarkable year when he was named the ACT male athlete of the year at an awards function at the National Arboretum on Friday night.
Fellow cyclist Caroline Buchanan was crowned female athlete of the year after winning her eighth world championship, while the ACT Schoolboys rugby side won the team prize after ending a 29-year national title drought.
Matthews has enjoyed a stellar year, winning the Tour de France green jersey and the Cycling Australia triple crown of awards, including the Sir Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman Medal, at a function last month.
Froome, who flew into Canberra on Thursday night to race in L'Etape at the Snowy Mountains on Saturday, described Matthews' as "amazing" and said the 27-year-old would only improve in the coming years.
Matthews is still weighing up his race schedule for next year and may opt to target the sprinter's title at the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana instead of back to back green jerseys.
"He's been up there with the best sprinters in the world for a few years already and for 'Bling' to have won the green jersey ... it doesn't get any better than that for a rider like him," Froome told Fairfax Media.
"He's not going to be targeting a yellow jersey ... so to win the green jersey is a massive accomplishment.
"You can't take anything away from his victory at the Tour this year, his ride was amazing and he deserved to win the green jersey."
Froome flew to Canberra on Thursday night and drove straight to Jindabyne, where he launched L'Etape and hosted clinics alongside two-time Australia road champion Amanda Spratt and Phil Liggett.
Froome will join 3500 cycling enthusiasts for the second L'Etape Australia event, which will weave through the Snowy Mountains on a 157 kilometre course.
The event is supposed to mimic a stage of the Tour de France, with Froome starting at the back of the pack and riding through the bunches to greet fans.
"They ask all sorts of things from race tactics to nutrition and what I eat for breakfast every day," Froome laughed.
The 32-year-old champion is bracing for brutal conditions on the closed-road circuit, with up to 70 millimetres of rain predicted in the region on Saturday.
Organisers have put in place contingency plans to ensure rider safety and be ready if one section of the course floods.
"Everyone will make sure safety is paramount, but just like Europe, the race doesn't stop for rain," Froome said.
"I'm going to ride. If it gets dangerous, I'll get off. But I've got no plans on abandoning at this point.
"The biggest thing for riders is just the following distance, knowing your breaks don't react quite as well as they normally do. So leave an extra metre or so and just take it easy around all of the bends.
"It's obviously more slippery and sometimes you don't see potholes, so everyone just has to stay attentive and hold your handlebars properly so you don't go down."
It's the second time Froome has raced in the region after being the star attraction at the inaugural L'Etape Australia last year.
"It was a no-brainer for me to come back when I got the invitation because it's a lovely part of the world to be on the bike," Froome said.
"It's a really good time of year for me because I'm not really into my full training for next year, so it's good to do something a bit more relaxed. I'm not here to try to win, it's nice to just roll around and chat to people who are so passionate about cycling."
ACT SPORT AWARD WINNERS
Male athlete of the year: Michael Matthews
Female athlete of the year: Caroline Buchanan
Para sport athlete of the year: Jayden Sawyer
Team of the year: ACT Schoolboys rugby union
Outstanding service to sport: Carmel Weatherburn
People's sporting champion: Cameron Crombie
Minister's award for inclusion: Canberra Region Rugby League
Minister's award for innovation: Canberra/Broulee Nippers Club
Minister's award for event excellence: Capital Football
ACT Sport Hall of Fame: Peta MacKinnon, Ben Hardy, Phil Brown (associate member), Paul Thompson (associate member)
