MATT JANSSEN 🇦🇺 🇫🇮

A STORY OF PURPOSE AND ADVENTURE : Matt Janssen and the Meaning of SISU

At dawn in Adelaide, while most of the city is still quiet, Matt Janssen is already moving. Coffee brewed. Playlists cued. Purpose locked in. For the co-founder of SISU Racing, winning the morning isn’t a slogan—it’s a way of living that has carried him through triumph, reinvention, and some of the hardest challenges of his life.

Matt describes himself as a diesel—never the sprinter, always the one who keeps coming. That steady engine has powered a lifetime on two wheels, from childhood freedom rides (with one rule: be home before dark) to lining up with a professional Continental team in Australia’s National Road Series. Cycling, for Matt, has never just been sport; it’s been structure, identity, and a compass.

When career demands crowded out training time, Matt pivoted. He chased a marathon instead until a hip stress fracture ended that dream weeks before the Berlin Marathon in 2015. It could have been the end of movement. Instead, it was a reset. He returned to the bike, and during COVID, Zwift arrived at exactly the right moment. Morning sessions. Afternoon sessions. Consistency found its rhythm again.

From Idea to Global Family

One of Matt’s proudest achievements isn’t a result sheet - it’s founding SISU Racing with his close friend Martin. What began as an idea and four riders has grown into one of the world’s most prominent esports cycling teams. The growth wasn’t accidental. It was intentional.

The “why” came first: enable human connection and athletic performance. A clear purpose, a bold brand, a strong code of conduct, and a racing spirit people could belong to. Add a world class rider experience, iconic kits worn proudly across continents, and flagship events like the TDF inspired SISU Tour and the community exploded.

But talk to Matt long enough and the numbers fade. What matters most are the messages from members who say joining SISU Racing changed their lives—made them better cyclists, yes, but also more connected humans.

The Pain Cave: Simple, Intentional, Effective

Matt’s pain cave reflects his philosophy remove friction, focus on the work. He’s transitioned from an old road bike on the trainer to the Garmin Tacx Neo, a setup he loves for its simplicity: clip in and ride. No fuss, no excuses. The soundtrack is equally intentional Avicii and his own curated dance and house playlists, setting a steady rhythm for long diesel efforts. Fueled by his ritual two coffees and a pre-ride shake, the pain cave becomes more than a training space; it’s where mornings are won, consistency is built, and momentum is created long before the rest of the day begins.

On Gravel, In Forests, With Purpose

Away from screens and start lists, Matt’s favorite rides are found in quiet places—like the Finnish forests of FNLD GRVL, where gravel hums beneath the tires and serenity does the talking. He’s also taken on the challenge of RADL GRVL, chasing not podiums, but experience.

A Leader Beyond the Bike

Beyond racing and results, Matt has become a quiet but powerful community leader and mental health advocate. He speaks openly about mental health, discipline, balance, and the importance of asking for help normalising conversations that many people avoid. Whether it’s encouraging riders to schedule rest as deliberately as training, engaging coaches and sports psychologists, or simply checking in on teammates as humans first, Matt leads by example. He understands that performance and wellbeing are inseparable, and that real strength is built through connection, vulnerability, and support. In SISU Racing, that ethos has created a culture where people feel seen, heard, and backed on their best days and their hardest ones.

His message - be kind to yourself, you have nothing to prove.

The Leader in the Relay

Ask Matt what role he’d play in a SISU team relay and the answer is instant: leader. Not the loudest. Not the fastest. The one who sets vision, builds culture, and cares for people as humans first. Because, as he puts it simply, life is a human game.

And when asked to finish the sentence—“SISU Racing is…” he doesn’t hesitate.

Family.

Grit Tested, SISU Revealed

In late 2025, life tested Matt in a way no race ever could. A severe eye infection stole sight in one eye. Days into 2026, a secondary infection followed more trauma, more uncertainty, a two-week hospital stay, and the real possibility the eye may not be saved. The road to recovery will be long and complex.

It’s the kind of chapter that can break momentum, confidence, even identity. Matt chose something else.

“In true SISU spirit,” he says, “I’m approaching it with grit, determination, and discipline.”

This is where his story sharpens. The same mindset that schedules rides like appointments. The same discipline that learned sometimes the hard way - the value of rest, recovery, and asking specialists for help. The same belief that progress is about enjoyment, movement, and showing up again tomorrow.

In a sport obsessed with watts and wins, Matt Janssen’s legacy is something deeper: proof that resilience isn’t loud, grit is built daily, and the strongest teams are forged by purpose, connection, and the courage to keep moving forward even when the road gets dark.