Team Sunweb director Marc Lieff reacted to the news that German team star rider Michael Matthews was surprised by his schedule after the 2020 season resumes.

Matthews, from Australia, will miss the Tour de France, Strade Bianche, and Ardennes Classics, which he was scheduled to compete in before the season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and will instead target the Giro d'Italia and Milan-San Remo.

Matthews told Cycling News on Thursday: "I went to the teams and said I wanted to stick to the program at the start of the year, including the Tour and the Classics, but they stuck to the Giro and San Remo and Il Lombardia.

In response, Lief told Wielerflits (opens in new tab) that ultimately the teams are responsible for the program, but that riders can have input into the race schedule, and that he thinks the scheduled program is the best way to achieve their goals He added.

"Riders will have input in putting together the program," said Leaf. But it is the team that makes the choice."

"In the Giro, I'm going for a stage win with Michael, and we'll also ride San Remo, Lombardia, the Plouai GP, and the Tirreno-Adriatico. It may not be the program he had in mind, but it's a great race series. The Giro is also very important for us."

Matthews said that the team management has yet to explain why his program has changed so much from the original plan: "I've been trying to build it into my program since 2015."

The team will instead send 24-year-old sprinter Cece Boll to the Tour, along with Tiesj Benoot, Søren Cragg Andersen, and Nikias Arndt.

"I think through the lockdown, preparing for the start of the season is probably what everyone has been doing.

"But yeah, I think right now we just have to change our mindset about our new goals and try to make the most of it."

Leaf, meanwhile, acknowledged that Matthews remains one of the team's leaders, but added that the way races are distributed within the team gives them the best chance to win.

"We are responsible for the whole team. With the allocation of this program, I think we have the best chance to achieve our goals."

He added, "I think we have the best chance to achieve our goals.

Matthews will run the Giro d'Italia, which he competed in 2014 and 2015, with climbers Sam Omen and Wilco Kelderman; the two Dutchmen reportedly could leave the team next year, with Sunweb being the GC man for AG2R Oomen is rumored to be moving to Jumbo Visma,