IAM Cycling unlucky at Tour of Austria

The Tour of Austria ended triumphantly in Vienna with a sprint victory by Omar Bertazzo (Androni), and an overall victory by the Austrian Riccardo Zoidl (Team Gourmet Fein Simplon).

During this final, 122.8 kilometer stage, which was punctuated by 10 laps around a 5.6 kilometer circuit in the center of Vienna, IAM Cycling once again tried to be at the forefront of the action. Aleksejs Saramotins rode hard to be in the main breakaway; he and three other riders found themselves at the front with less than 5 kilometers to go, when they were finally reeled in by the sprinters’ teams.

Kristof Goddaert showed his encouraging progress by climbing to 22^e  place overall, though Jonathan Fumeaux still finished with the honor of being IAM Cycling’s top rider in 20^th place.

Marcello Albasini gave an honest assessment of the team’s performance over the difficult week.

“Luck has certainly shunned us this week.  In addition to the unjust exclusion of Matthias Brändle and Eddy Seigneur, Stefan Denifl ended in the hospital with a broken collarbone while he was sitting in 11^th place.  And Gustav Larsson left us on the morning of the individual time trial, his specialty, in order to be with his wife for the birth of their first child, who didn’t arrive until 5 pm Saturday evening.  But all of our bad luck should not distract us from the fact that there are still areas that need work, not only for the rest of the season, but also for next year.  We absolutely must continue to progress and improve even in difficult conditions offered in races like this year’s Tour of Austria.  This is what we’re not good at, which prevents us from being more serene and lucid at the time of decision-making in the field.”

Tous les résultats de IAM Cycling sur le Tour d’Autriche