Vuelta a España – Stage 9 – Thomas Degand – Beyond the physical pain, I feel huge disappointment –

IAM Cycling has apparently not gotten through its patch of bad luck.  Having already lost Matteo Pelucchi and David Tanner to painful crashes in the second stage, the Swiss professional team suffered yet additional casualties within its ranks.  Thomas Degand crashed hard after having covered just 32 kilometers of the stage, and had to be evacuated via ambulance for further examinations at the hospital in Benidorm.  Though the medical examinations revealed a “simple” case of severe road rash and bruising, that still means that IAM Cycling is once again one man down.  The good fortune that has eluded the Swiss team has not been so cruel to Tom Dumoulin (Giant – Alpecin), who took a well-deserved win on the Puig Llorença. Esteban Chaves (Orica – GreenEDGE), till now the tireless defender of the red jersey, has ceded his lead to the Dutchman, but remains in third place overall.

As is typical for professional cyclists, the first words out of Thomas Degand’s mouth as he came out of the ambulance were not complaints but apologies.  Sincerely sorry not to have finished the stage, and by extension the Vuelta, the Belgian rider really wanted to be able to be on hand to help his team try to win its first stage in a grand tour since it began racing in 2013.  “A rider fell right in front of me and I could not avoid him,” Degand explained.  “I found myself on the other side of the security fence.  Basically, it was pretty brutal.  I fell heavily on my entire left side.  I have tons of road rash, but fortunately, nothing is broken.  That’s a very important point to take away from this.  But abandoning the Vuelta encapsulates the kind of season I have been having.  The team gives me a great opportunity like this, but I have not been able to take advantage of it.  Beyond the physical pain, I feel a huge emotional disappointment.  Finishing the race could have taken me to the next level, but now I have gashed open my progression.  I hope I can get back on the bike very quickly.”

As for Degand’s return to riding, no date has yet been set.  Given the fact that nothing is broken, and that the attending doctors have been very reassuring, the IAM Cycling sports management along with the team doctors will discuss the possibility of the Belgian rider returning to competition based on how quickly his injuries heal.

Eddy Seigneur, directeur sportif along with Mario Chiesa at the Tour of Spain, ensures that his team has not lost sight of its goal to win a stage, though loosing yet another rider has not helped their cause. “Thomas Degand could have been the perfect aggressor in the next mountain stages, especially in Andorra,” Seigneur explained.  “It would have been an opportunity for us to show the IAM Cycling colors proudly at the front of the race.  Despite this new set-back, we will start again tomorrow, with a goal to go for the stage.  Vicente Reynes is feeling better and the finish could suit him quite well.  With only six riders still racing, we will be motivated to be at the front.  Our tactics will also change in the sense that we will have to be more aggressive.”