Classica Almeria – Sylvain Chavanel «A great start before the Ruta del Sol»

With warm, sunny weather, short shorts and a strong line-up, this edition of the Classica Almeria had it all. Mark Cavendish (Etixx – Quick Step) made his own mark by taking the sprint in dominating fashion ahead of a group of about sixty riders.  The IAM Cycling team managed to show itself well by taking 12th and 15th place courtesy of Jérôme Pineau and Sylvain Chavanel, respectively, and by winning the team classification as well.

Even though the return to racing on European soil did not end up in a victory for the Swiss professional team, no one expressed any regret upon arrival. 

“We talked everything over with the team in this morning’s briefing and we knew that the race was going to be controlled by Etixx – Quick Step,” directeur sportif Mario Chiesa said. 

“That they took control was no surprise since they obviously wanted to help Cavendish to the win.  The only regret for me is that our riders did not stick together all the time in the pack.  It’s too bad because when the first peloton broke free on a descent, we had some riders at the front but some riders caught out in the split, including our young sprinter Sondre Holst Enger.  At that point, they were never going to catch up with the front group.”

Aside from that small error, the IAM Cycling team did quite well with two riders in the top fifteen and an encouraging victory in the team classification.

“I tried to sprint in the final to grab a bit of a result,” Sylvain Chavanel said after crossing the line.  “The conditions were really great for riding today, super nice, so it was really enjoyable.  Even if there was some wind on the course, it is a great way to get ready for the Ruta del Sol on Wednesday.  I’m glad my sensations are so good after the long period of training.”