Brussels Cycling Classic and Grand Prix de Fourmies – bad weekend for IAM Cycling

IAM Cycling stuck in a rut at the Grand Prix de Fourmies (Sunday, September 8)

For IAM Cycling, unfortunately, Sunday mirrored Saturday this weekend.  After a lackluster performance at the Brussels Cycling Classic, the riders from the Swiss Pro Continental team sank even lower into the depths of the day’s results.

At the Grand Prix de Fourmies, which was won by Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) in front of André Greipel, IAM Cycling directeur sportif Eddy Seigneur was surprised by the tactics adopted by his riders.

“One thing that hurt us was that Sébastien Hinault fell heavily and was certainly not in any condition to fight for the final victory.  But the other guys had the chance to ride their race.  But they were all too far back in the peloton, and were essentially trapped at the start of the penultimate lap.  It was enough of a distance not to be represented at the front for the finale.  It’s a shame because there was a good shot that we could have been big players at the finish.  I gave them a talking to after the race because I am disappointed.  Ever since Plouay, we haven’t really fulfilled our potential, and I will not lightly accept that.” 

In the meantime, Sébastien Hinault, after consulting a doctor regarding the centimeter-long gash on his left knee, will return to his home in Brittany, without feeling too bitter.  “There are days when we may had better have gone fishing.  I crashed at the beginning of the race with some guy from Katusha after being pushed to the back.  So with a missed sprint at Plouay, and this crash today, I cannot say that I am at all happy with my week. The situation with the doping controller needing to follow me to school when I dropped off my son this week becomes only a minor story in light of how my races have gone!”  

Brussels Cycling Classic – “Luckless day in Brussels” (Saturday, September 7)

Even if the sun was shining nearly the entire day on the Belgian capital, IAM Cycling riders had very little to smile about this afternoon.

In their first appearance in the Brussels Cycling Classic, the Swiss Pro Continental team found little success or good fortune in the final 20 kilometers of the race, which was won in a sprint by André Greipel (Lotto Belisol).  Directeur Sportif Eddy Seigneur was left to take stock of the day, and could summarize their experience in one sentence:

“We had a very unlucky day in Brussels.  But I am not going to dwell on this failure.  Fortunately, we still have a chance to balance the scales for the weekend of racing tomorrow at the GP de Fourmies.  All of our misfortune today came together when we were nearing the finale after passing the final three difficulties.  First, Matteo Pelucchi fell heavily.  He needed to set off again with his spare bike, but never returned to the peloton because there was a road block put in place by the commissioners to prevent those dropped from returning to the pack using this method.  Then Kristof Goddaert had a puncture and Marco Bandiera stopped to give him his wheel with 15 kilometers to go.  And finally Kevyn Ista was among a group of 20 riders who crashed 5 kilometers from the finish.” 

At the end, only Dominic Klemme (31^st) and Aleksejs Saramotins (44^th) managed to finish in the same time as the winner André Greipel.