Challenge Mallorca – Matteo Pelucchi «I took Greipel’s wheel because he still had his whole train at hand»

The rain, wind, and cold could not dampen IAM Cycling’s day as they had another reason to pop the champagne on the Balearic Islands.  On the final day of the Playa de Palma Challenge Cyclista Mallorca, typically reserved for the sprinters, Matteo Pelucchi emerged victorious for the second time of the series after triumphing on Thursday.  The Italian sprinter for the Swiss professional team put his stamp on the day, outsprinting André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) and Ben Swift (Sky).

Asked to analyze the team’s day, Rubens Bertogliati, the directeur sportif for IAM Cycling, was not the least surprised in his rider’s strength.

“I have seen a new Matteo these races.  His winter work has really paid off.  Today, he was able to handle the last hill without any problems and stay with the group.  Our progress is evident even if we never really showed ourselves in the high mountains.  But Matteo has turned a corner that signals he can certainly finish a three week tour, and most importantly, end a day hunting for a win, even when the conditions are very exhausting for the body.” 

Very happy for his rider, Bertogliati turned to describing how the day unfolded.

“We had to bite the bullet because it was pretty cold, it was raining and very windy.  But that did not stop Sondre Holst Enger, Simon Pellaud and especially Aleksejs Saramotins from protecting Matteo and putting him on the best wheels behind the Team Sky train.  And in the sprint, Matteo was able to pull ahead of everyone.  This is important because in the future, all his teammates will have even more confidence in him, and will ride themselves into the ground working for him without a second thought.”

Just after the ceremony and before taking the plane to return to the mainland, Matteo Pelucchi remained modest in his triumph.

“The resistance work I did during the winter seems to have worked.  I felt comfortable on the 3^rd category climb.  In fact I suffered more from the wind and cold than I did from the climbs.  At one point I was even tempted to climb into a warm car.  In the end, I knew that everyone was in the same boat.  And anyways, I’m motivated for the win.  Holst Enger and Pellaud really helped me in the last kilometers and then Saramotins put me in a perfect position just after the last turn.  At that point I took Greipel’s wheel because he had his entire train and I was convinced that I could play for the win.  I really take great pleasure in getting another win, but it is very important to note the strength of the team.  The guys were able to encourage me and help me through the difficult moments all day.”