12 June 2015
IAM Cycling
Ones mood can change very quickly at the Dauphiné, where the race went from being great under the sunshine to being difficult in the rain for the peloton. For those successful few, Rui Costa (Lampre Merida) climbed at full speed to surprise Vicenzo Nibali (Astana) in his quest for a stage win. In the end, both riders were able to reap the fruits of their labors as Costa earned the stage win while Nibali captured the overall lead. Each had already proved his pedigree, one being a former world champion while the other has already won the 2014 Tour de France. For his part, Mathias Frank suffered through the stage between Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur and Villard-de-Lans. The victim of a hunger knock in the last kilometers, the Swiss rider crossed the line in 40th place, 933 behind the winner.
Pushed to the edge of their limits, and at the end of their strength, this was a Friday the riders had to get through. Matthias Frank’s reaction after crossing the finish line is stark testament: I think this was the hardest day of my career. They were not very long climbs, but we just kept steadily gaining elevation. I was riding à bloc from very early on. And in the final, I think I just had not eaten enough, and I had a hunger knock. I was just completely broken at the end.
And Mathias Frank was not the only one. His teammate Marcel Wyss also suffered from the harsh climatic conditions and the infernal tempo set by the leaders during the race. We knew it was going to be a very hard sixth stage, Wyss explained. We certainly were not wrong there. Everyone wanted to go in the break, and eventually all the favorites were the ones dictating the pace. I was not on my top form today, and I blame myself because I was not there to help Mathias Frank in the mountains. He made a little mistake, and I think if I had been there, I probably would have been able to give him the necessary support. I was with him until 50 kilometers to go to the finish, but after that, I just couldnt keep the pace; I was just dead. From now on, we will try to be more aggressive during the stages, and attack from the front. But I think todays scenario is likely to be repeated, with the favorites leading the race. But even if thats the case, I will make a go of it myself and not look for excuses.
Working to animate the rest of the race is certainly the game plan in Rik Verbrugghes mind. The difficulties of this stage will stay with the riders bodies for several days, Verbrugghe explained. Often on a day like this, you may not have had time to eat properly, and in the last ten kilometers, the lights just go out all of a sudden. Now the IAM Cycling team will go out to be aggressive, even though it will not be entirely easy looking at who are the front runners. But by Sunday we will certainly try to do something exciting.
