09 August 2013
IAM Cycling
The Tour de lAin prologue has given Matthias Brändle the opportunity to confirm his talent as a rouleur.
Over a technical 4 kilometer circuit in the town of Trévoux, the Austrian national time trial champion finished in 8th place behind Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), just a few seconds off pace.
When asked to evaluate his ride, the Austrian did not hide his disappointment at having come so close to the victory.
The differences are really minimal. Having just finished three seconds away from the winner, I still found myself outside the top five. I came to this stage with victory as the goal. It was a dream for me to end up in the leaders jersey. This did not actually work out because I was simply lacking something in the technical curves. In the end, I did not take enough risks, and paid for it by missing out on the win.
His sentiments were somewhat tempered by Rubens Bertogliati, directeur sportif for IAM Cycling:
Matthias result is good. Considering the situation, he has achieved a great performance. This prologue was both short and technical, a combination which doesnt naturally favor a rouleur like Matthias. The other riders have gained their position so far based on their strengths as time trialists. From here on out, the requirements will be different.”
