TDF stage 2 – Mathias Frank «I was suffering from cramps in the final»

The second stage of the Tour de France ended with a victory and a yellow jersey for Vincenzo Nibali (Astana).

The Italian road race champion surprised all the favorites with an attack shortly before the final kilometer, and managed to finish a handful of seconds ahead of the elite group of chasers to grab a beautiful victory.

For its part, IAM Cycling managed to limit the damage.  Helped by Marcel Wyss and Sébastien Reichenbach, Mathias Frank lost barely 20 seconds to the favorites.

Kjell Carlström, directeur sportif of the Swiss team along with Eddy Seigneur, expressed satisfaction with the work of his protégés.

“Even though we did not have the resources to stay with the favorites, we were still well placed.  Everything exploded on the last climb where the placement of the riders decided the fate of the race.  Even with amazing legs, it would have been impossible to return to the best placed if you started in a poor position.” 

Having arrived in 26^th place, 16 seconds behind the winner, Mathias Frank acknowledged the difficulty he had, and stressed how impossible it was to pass riders on such narrow roads.

“I was not at my best today, but I still managed to limit the damage.  It really was a Liège-Bastogne-Liège in miniature, if you can say it like that.  I did not manage to place myself well before the final climb because I was already at my limit.  Then I was suffering cramps in the final run in to the finish.” 

Sébastien Reichenbach came in 34^th place in the same time as Frank.

“We had to show a lot of focus on the narrow and treacherous roads.  Luckily, we all managed to avoid the many crashes.  In the last forty kilometers the favorites accelerated.  And in the end, I waited for Mathias who was suffering cramps and was not on his best day.  We suffered very limited damage and managed to finish with the first chasing group.  Given the challenges ahead, there is nothing to regret.”