Vuelta a España – Stage 13 – Sylvain Chavanel – I have to seize the stages that suit me, and this was one of them –

There was a suspicion among the riders in the team parking lot Friday morning that the breakaway that day might go all the way.  As the kilometers ticked by, this open secret was confirmed.  A group of twenty-four men at the head of the race included Niki Terpstra (Etixx – Quick-Step), Jose Joaquin Jojas (Movistar), Nicholas Roche (Team Sky), a well as IAM Cycling’s Sylvain Chavanel and Jérôme Coppel, and was able to gain a substantial advantage over the rest of the peloton on a hilly course.  It was enough that many of the escapees never saw the peloton again the rest of the day.  Nelson Oliveira (Lampre Merida) proved the strongest of the leaders, and took the stage with a minute advantage over his breakaway companions.  With twenty kilometers to go to the finish, the Portuguese rider pulled away and succeeded in winning solo. Among the chasers behind the winner, Sylvain Chavanel, an active engine of the break, held on to take a strong fourth place.  Jérôme Coppel, who also finished a minute behind, crossed the line in eighteenth position.

Along the lines of good things coming to those who wait, Sylvain Chavanel had been waiting for his moment to find the right time to attack again.  And even if he didn’t manage to take the win today for his IAM Cycling team, the French rider can be happy to have ridden so well at the front of the race for the entire day.  “We really fought hard before the break was actually able to separate itself,” Chavanel explained.  “I never gave up, and I have been rewarded because we went out with a group of 23 riders.  In the end, when everything was settled, Nelson Oliveira attacked.  Several times I tried to go with him, but there was really no debate about it: he was definitely the strongest.  There were a lot of riders in the move, so it is a little like a lottery.  This is the first break and the first break to make it all the way to the finish.  I am happy to be at the front of the race because for this Vuelta, there aren’t that many opportunities for riders with my characteristics to shine.  I must seize the stages that suit me, and this was one of them.  I find my racing legs are getting better, even if I have not yet reached my optimal form.”

Chavanel is not only seeking good feelings, but also results. Eddy Seigneur, directeur sportif alongside Mario Chiesa at the Vuelta, is satisfied with the attitude that his team showed on the Spanish roads for Friday’s stage, but remains convinced that a victory is still a possibility for the Swiss cycling team.  “Sylvain Chavanel was very strong, but he may have been missing just a little something in order to play seriously for the win,” Seigneur explained.  “But this is only a postponement.  The competition is not over yet, and the objective to win a stage has not yet been achieved.  So we will say that we are happy but not satisfied.”