GP cycliste de Québec – Heinrich Haussler – I suffered from cramps just before we hit the false flat leading up to the finish –

The GP cycliste de Québec had a rousing finale.  Having chosen the perfect time to attack on the false flat leading up to the finish line, Rigoberto Uran (Etixx-Quickstep) managed to hold his advantage ahead of a pack of favorites, and punched his way to the victory.  IAM Cycling, though not present in the top-10, showed off its colors well and worked hard to put Heinrich Haussler in position for the sprint.  And Dries Devenyns was pulled back to the pack just before the final kilometer having attacked on the last climb.

When discussing his race, Heinrich Haussler regretted how the last two hundred meters unfolded.  “I’m happy with my day because I felt very good from the start.  Even the change in temperature from the cool morning to the heat at the end of the race did not bother me.  I found myself in an ideal position in spite of the pace that the teams of the favorites set at the foot of the last climb.  Unfortunately, I suffered from cramps just before we hit the false flat leading up to the finish. I was blocked, and in these conditions, it was just illusionary to think that I could stay with the group right behind Uran.”

Prominent in the finale for the team, Dries Devenyns typified the collective hard work the entire team had done, and set the tone for the GP de Montreal which will happen already on Sunday.  “The first part of the race was pretty easy.  The peloton was controlling the breakaway that was just interested in the primes.  When the pack pulled them back, the attacks came fast and furious, but with the headwind along the river, it was not easy to make an escape stick.  I tried myself on the last climb, but the favorites were not about to let me get too far away.  It should be noted that the whole team put in a ton of hard work in order to have a chance in the final.  Now we will turn the page, and make every effort to have a go at the Montreal circuit, which will be more demanding.”

Marcello Albasini, directeur sportif for IAM Cycling at the event, was a little disappointed with the outcome of the race.  “Our goal was to get a top-10.  We didn’t manage to do that, and really only the result counts.  However, I can’t actually point to a reason for our failure.  The team worked well all the way into the final circuit even if Mathias Frank was not in a breakaway until the last lap. Dries Devenyns put in a dig of his own, but it was perhaps too early.  But it was a worthwhile attempt.  Heinrich Haussler was also on hand and well placed, but cramps disabled him at the worst time.  I would, I guess, summarize the race by saying that we did not reach our goal, but that we were there and fighting.  Now it’s important to recover since Sunday will come fast, and we will have a second chance.  I want to see IAM Cycling seize it.”

Capsule 10 – Embarquez à bord de l’auto de l’équipe IAM Cycling from GPCQM on Vimeo.