18 February 2015
IAM Cycling
The excessive heat (38°C) wreaked havoc with the bodies of the racers for the second stage of the Tour of Oman. That did not prevent Fabian Cancellara (Trek) from crushing all comers by imposing his superior speed over a reduced peleton sprinting for the finish line at Al Bustan. Cancellara won the daily double, in fact, since he is now in the leaders jersey.
In this battle of the powerful riders, IAM Cyclings Dries Devenyns managed to hold his own. The 31 year old Belgian rider succeeded in finishing with the group of favorites, taking 15th place.
Discussing his day after the stage, Devenyns remained modest.
I did not have an overly great performance, but nevertheless, it is good for the confidence. In Qatar I was struggling because I had trouble with my back. I abandoned that race and rested up to be fit for this second stage race of the year. And today, I decided to make every effort to achieve something. The heat was always present, and even if I do not especially like it, it doesnt really bother me. On the last climb, everyone was going full gas. The guys had to think of themselves more than the team. My sensations were not extraordinary, but it was enough to finish in the first group.
Im still happy because I have done my preparations with the objective of Het Nieuwsblad in mind, since that is a race that I love. So I take the days one by one, but the third stage we will likely make every effort to put Matteo Pelucchi in a place to succeed. He is working very hard and the stage will most probably end in a sprint.
Directeur sportif for IAM Cycling, Eddy Seigneur, was pleased with the return of the good form he sees in Dries Devenyns.
His moral was not very high at the Tour of Qatar. Then today to see him slip into the group of favorites is excellent. It is especially impressive since the heat was so extreme with temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees, but even more so considering that on that final climb there were sections reaching an average of 10% for more than a kilometer.
