09 May 2014
IAM Cycling
The cold, wind and rain made a tight affair of the 2nd stage of the 4 Days of Dunkirk, which was won again by Arnaud Démare (FDJ.fr) to solidify his race lead.
IAM Cycling, though a motor for the day, struggled to capitalize on their efforts. Eddy Seigneur, one of the two directeurs sportifs along with Mario Chiesa for the Swiss Pro Continental team at this race, instructed his riders to fight throughout the stage.
The course was perfect to launch attacks. There was a lot of bad pavement, mud, rain and wind. The guys fought like warriors. And Sylvain Chavanel was on a mission to try his luck in the final. His accelerations on the pavés caused the important selections each time. But despite his good legs, he didnt succeed in making the ultimate break. The wind was the prime reason that riders in his lead group did not want to work with him. We still have two days to undermine the strength of FDJ. We will use the Boulonnais climbs, and anyway, Arnaud Démare cannot celebrate his overall victory before Sunday night. We will not let him have an easy ride to Dunkirk.
Finishing 14th at the end of this intense stage held in hellish conditions, Sylvain Chavanel reiterated his desire to undermine the dominance of FDJ.
I take the stages as they come. The sensations in my legs are good. Today we had to be very careful because of the rain, wind, and extremely slippery cobblestones. The forecasts are not great for the rest of the stages. I will try my luck. The problem is the wind and against a team like FDJ, that can change the scenario completely. The important thing is that I am pleased with my performance, which for someone just restarting, is not too bad.
A big thank you to Eric Caron @ facebook.com/liberte.hebdo for the pictures
