'Quite strange': Matthew Richardson reveals what sparked Team GB switch
Matthew Richardson said racing for Great Britain at the Olympics his "dream" and he'd been considering switching to his country of birth for some time, following news of his shock defection.
In the aftermath of electing to race for Team GB after his three medal haul in Paris, the 25-year-old spoke to Eurosport's The Gruppetto show to explain his side of what has become a much publicised story.
Richardson, who holds dual citizenship with both Australian and British passports, said he considers Britain "home" and had been contemplating the move since he first represented Australian at the world junior championships in 2017.
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"I looked over at the GB people and thought, 'I could have been there'. And I thought, 'hmm, this feels quite strange'," he told Eurosport's The Gruppeto show.
"I never hesitated once when racing for Australia at any competition in the last seven years, but that was the first thought of what could possibly be if I hadn't moved to Australia and I was racing for GB.
"Anything else that comes with it is a bonus.
"I've been in the sport long enough to understand that equipment makes a difference, possible race opportunities in Europe make a difference. But the underlying thing was it was just my dream. The main thing is that I'm chasing a dream."
But his selection for the Olympics was the reason behind keeping the move secret. He said it was an "interesting preparation" ahead of the campaign, which saw him claim two silver medals in Keirin and Sprint events and a bronze in the Team Sprint.
"I had a moment when I was walking up the stairs for the Keiren final, very last race I knew I was racing for Australia, and I just wanted to give it my absolute best and really bring home another medal for Australia," Richardson told the ABC.
"It was an interesting preparation for the Olympics knowing what was to come afterwards, but that didn't distract me, that didn't take away from any effort I put into training.
"I was quite nervous after the Olympics having to sit down and have those hard conversations with coaches and staff I have strong close relationships with and it was never going to be easy, but it was OK.
"I didn't tell any of the athletes or any of the staff pre-Games, purely because this is something I needed to deal with and I didn't want to put that burden on anyone and distract from anyone's Olympic prep.
"The Olympic Games is a stressful period enough let alone me adding a little bit of spice to the mix with this information."
Due to switching allegiance to Great Britain, UCI rules state Richardson is not eligible to compete in the 2024 World Championships in October or the 2025 European Championships in February.
But AusCycling is pushing to have Richardson excluded from international competition for two years.
Richardson told Eurosport he understood he could not compete at the World and European Championships, when he decided to change teams, and has no ill will towards officials at AusCycling.
"I have no harsh words or bitterness towards them," he said.
"They supported me for my whole cycling career up until now and I really did give my best for them and brought home as many medals as possible, so I just hope they understand my decision and can appreciate everything I did for them as well."
He added: "Whenever I fly back into the UK, whether it's for racing or visiting family, I would come in and admittedly see rain and the cloud and the grey, but think 'this is home'.
"And every time I raced in the UK, whether it be Glasgow or Commies [Commonwealth Games] or Track Champions League, it would feel like a home crowd because I would have so many more supporters in the crowd, given all my family are still here in the UK."
