23 February 2014
IAM Cycling
Amaël Moinard (BMC) won the second and final stage of the Tour du Haut-Var in a manner not dissimilar to Carlos Betancur (AG2R La Mondiale) the day before.
In spite of their best efforts, the IAM Cycling riders could not manage to grab a victory as a way to honor their teammate and friend Kristof Goddaert who died tragically last Tuesday while training.
Eddy Seigneur, their directeur sportif, set the tone in the morning team meeting, though they did not seem to be able to follow through completely. Even though Sébastien Reichenbach, Jérôme Pineau and Jonathan Fumeaux all finished in the top 15 for the day, the Swiss team more or less miss-played the descent of the Tuillères, the place where the winning selection ultimately was made.
Jonathan Fumeaux stayed with the best at the top of the climb. We were well positioned for the sprint, but we were not able to come to terms with the duo at the front once we were on the descent, Sébastien Reichenbach explained.
Leading up to this thriller of a finale, Marcel Wyss spent more than 150 kilometers acting as one of the main engines of the days breakaway. As a result, the rider from the Swiss capital of Bern was smiling about his day, though he was forced to abandon on the final circuit.
I am reassured after my riding felt off at the Mediterranean Tour. I didnt have the legs at that time, and then even fell on a descent hard enough to break my helmet. I didnt have any energy. Afterwards, I went to see a physio and was completely blocked even before this event. Today I fought with everything I had against the wind to bridge up with the breakaway. It was a good workout and I felt as though I have improved feelings in my legs, though by the end I was exhausted. This is a good sign and I will continue to prepare myself for my big goals in April. I still have time to work up to it, but this is not to say that I will not continue to try my luck to win a race, beginning with the GP Lugano next Sunday.
photos – Etienne Garnier @ VeloFotoPro.com
