As a junior rider, Stephens won the
Junior Tour of Wales in both 1987 and 1988, one of only two riders to win the race twice. He represented
Great Britain at the
1992 Summer Olympics in
Barcelona, finishing 61st in the road race. Stephens finished 8th in the
Amateur World Road Race Championships in 1995, forming part of a break on the second lap of the race alongside eventual winner
Danny Nelissen and earning Team GB their squad for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 (automatic qualification for the Games was restricted to nations with finishers in the top 15 of the 1995 World Championships). However, he was not selected for the Olympic Road Race team that year. He became the
British National Road Race Champion in 1998. After this he turned professional with the British-based Harrods team in 1998, before riding for the
Linda McCartney Racing Team in 1999 until their demise in February 2001. During the 2000 3-week
Giro d'Italia, he battled through with injuries from a fall on day 2 of racing, earning media admiration and ultimately dropping out 17 days later. He rode for
Sigma Sport between 2001 and 2011, acting as rider/manager from 2010 onwards. He combined his racing at Sigma Sport with a career in the police with
Cheshire Constabulary, which he joined in 2001. A broken knee in the 2011 Paris-Troyes ended his racing career. Since retiring from racing, he has written for various websites as well as being the 'specialist' on
ITV4's
Halfords Tour Series and
Tour of Britain coverage, and commentating on live races for British Cycling's
Premier Calendar and
Eurosport. He also worked as a presenter for
Global Cycling Network. On 24 April 2018, he announced on the weekly
Global Cycling Network (GCN) show that he would leave GCN, shifting his focus to race commentary work and live events. Since 2018, he has presented "Matt Stephens Cafe Ride" for the
Sigma Sports YouTube Channel. During these episodes he interviews a figure from the world of cycling during a cycle ride and "cafe stop". He also hosts a popular podcast in which he interviews figures from the world of cycling. ==Major results==