13 March 2016
IAM Cycling
THE MISSION
Eddy Seigneur, the directeur sportif for the team at Paris-Nice along with Lionel Marie, needed only one sentence to tell his riders at the outset of the stage what the main goal for the day would be: I want to see at least one of you in the main breakaway for the day. That was a mission that Oliver Naesen, who took part in the break that included 21 other riders, was able to fulfill. The group slipped away early in this the final stage of the race that was conducted under sunny, spring-like temperatures, including a favorable wind for the final straight.
THE ANIMATOR
Oliver Naesen. At 25 years old, the Belgian did not balk at the chance to take part in the action of the day, and was more than able to hold his own. As he already has shown at the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Naesen, who is a new addition to the IAM Cycling team this year, is able to find the right place to be in a difficult stage, though at the end of the day he was unable to keep pace with those fighting for the overall victory facing numerous climbs and strong attacks over the col d’Eze.
THE QUOTE
I have been going well since the start of the season, explained Oliver Naesen after having just arrived on the Promenade des Anglais. But I would rather have some strong results to show for it. Its all well and good to get into the break, but I would also like to be in at the finish. I hope to be able to do just that when the racing arrives in my backyard in two weeks. I should really be in my element when racing the Flandrian classics.
THE ANALYSIS
The team was geared to be supportive of Dries Devenyns in order to protect him for a shot at the top-10 in the general classification, noted Rik Verbrugghe, sports manager for IAM Cycling who had come to watch his riders in this last weekend of the Race to the Sun. It was, however, an impossible task when looking at who is at the top of the overall at the end of the race. This top-10 is filled with riders who would also be taking the top-10 in a Grand Tour. I just regret that Jérôme Coppel was forced to abandon due to illness because he certainly would have been able to figure prominently this weekend if he had been healthy. But I am pretty satisfied with how the team did this week especially because the guys who are aiming at the classics are going well. This is a good sign.
THE ANECDOTE
Little at ease in a race with so many difficult climbs that the race covered this weekend, Matthias Brändle finished in 131 and last place for this edition of Paris-Nice.
THE NUMBER
5 – That is the number of IAM Cycling riders who managed to reach the finish line in Nice at the end of the week after their teammates Jérôme Coppel, Stefan Denifl, and Vegard Stake Laengen had to abandon over the course of the event.
Pictures – BettiniPhoto2016
