Giro d’Italia – Stage 10 – Matteo Pelucchi «Today, aside from the pain, I just had no strength»

The Giro d’Italia has experienced its hottest day since the departure from San Lorenzo al Mare ten days ago.  The 30 degree temperature seemed to give the group of five escapees the wings they needed to stay away from the pack after breaking away from kilometer 10.  In the end, it was Nicola Boem (Bardiani-CSF) who celebrated the stage victory after a tortuous finale through the streets of Forli.  As for Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), the pink jersey is still hanging from his shoulders. 

IAM Cycling did not fare so well during this 10^th stage.  Most disappointingly, Matteo Pelucchi was unable to make it to the finish line despite his teammates’ best efforts to keep him secure in the peloton.  The wounds that he suffered on his left ankle in a crash on stage 2 have finally forced him to abandon the race.  Consequently, Roger Kluge (18^th) stepped up to make the sprint for the Swiss squad, and ended the day as the team’s best finisher.

When asked to discuss his day, Matteo Pelucchi was quick to thank all his teammates and friends for their support.  “I am very disappointed to have to abandon this race, and really must first take my hat off to my teammates.  They all tried to encourage me and have mobilized themselves to help me finish, ever since the second stage of the race.  Yesterday, the wound that is situated just above the rim of the shoe became really infected, and was just not healing.  And now, in addition to the pain, I just feel completely lacking strength.  There was really nothing else I could have done.”

Sports manager Rik Verbrugghe, having arrived on the rest day to be with the team, was not disappointed in Pelucchi for having to abandon.  “Seeing just how swollen and sore his ankle is, I thought it would be much too hard for him.  The team really has done everything to keep him in the race, but in the end, the pain was just too intense.  Unfortunately, this race is full of incidents over which we have no control.”  However, Verbrugghe certainly has not lost his optimism.  “We will continue to work hard.   IAM Cycling proved that it can race aggressively and always on the offensive from the start of the Giro, and there is no reason to change that stance now.  For a Giro like this, which is relatively open to attacks and successful escape groups, we will continue in the future as we have in the past.”