Marcello Albasini: «Too tough of a final at the GP de la Côte Etrusque»

“We were a little too lightweight to figure in the final of the GP de la Côte Etrusque.  The race had all the big names of Italian cycling like Basso, Scarponi, Ulissi and co.”

IAM Cycling Directeur Sportif Marcello Albasini frankly admitted that the team sent to the Italian race as a final preparation before the Worlds were a little too green for the competition.

“This group of guys is a little soft for this level.  We would have needed Marcel Wyss and Sébastien Reichenbach to have had ambitions to play for the win after that final climb with 3 kilometers to go.”

However, this did not mean that the Swiss team played no role in the race, which was won by Michele Scarponi (Lampre) ahead of Diego Ulissi and Filippo Pozzato.  Racing between San Vincenzo and Donoratico, the riders faced two circuits of 30 kilometers with a 3 kilometer long climb.  What used to be on the spring program intended for sprinters, has now been toughened up for the sprightly climbers of the peloton later in the season.  Albasini was nevertheless pleased with his riders.

“If I were to give a score to the guys today, I would give them an average grade.  All went well at the start. Dominic Klemme and Pirmin Lang made it into some early breaks and stayed away many kilometers.  But the pack refused to give more than a minute to any of these escapees.  Then it was Marcel Aregger who found his place in a group of a six man break.  They were off the front for more than 150 kilometer.  He even managed to be the first over the top of one of the climbs.  But then the second climb proved to be too much for him.”