Tirreno-Adriatico – Sébastien Reichenbach «I wince whenever I see a stage will finish just after a descent»

The longest stage of the 2015 Tirreno-Adriatico with 226 kilometers to cover upset the overall rankings due to a tough climb in the wind that the peloton crossed twice in the last twenty kilometers of the race.  In this trial, it was Wout Poels (Sky) who showed the best form and instincts.  The Dutchman shelled all the favorites on the final ascent before crossing the line solo, with a fourteen second advantage.  The hero of the day was also able to grab the leader’s jersey since the overnight wearer, Greg Van Avermaet, lost more than two minutes on the day.

IAM Cycling’s Sébastien Reichenbach came to the race in Italy in order to test his form, gain confidence, and hopefully grab a good place in the overall.  The rider from the Valais region in Switzerland finished in 18^th place, in the same group as Contador, Uran, Kreuziger as well as Quintana and Rodriguez.  He managed an even better time than Nibali and Scarponi.  Sunday will be the queen stage which ends at the summit of the Terminillo.  Reichenbach, who is the leader for IAM Cycling, will be able to count on his remaining teammates to offer their full support. Marcel Aregger has had a fever for the past two days and Pirmin Lang is cut up after crashing, but they were both able to make it to the finish through gritted teeth. 

After a good shower and a bite to eat, Sébastien Reichenbach (25) was pleased with his finish, under the circumstances.  “The stage was very long and everyone was nervous the entire time.  I also was dreading the final circuit because I hate when the stages end after a fast descent.  I’m not fond of that at all.  So I was a bit stressed, but I still felt good the entire stage.  Several times I was forced to put in a big effort to get back to the position I needed to keep, but I still managed to finish with the favorites.  So I am happy with my day, knowing that we will have to do it all over again on Sunday.” Reichenbach admitted that he was holding on for dear life in the final.  “A big selection happened on the last two ascents.  The favorites all turned on the gas on the last climb and I was sure there would be more attacks.  But the headwind discouraged many.  All the efforts really happened at the top on the toughest parts of the climb with the steepest percentages.  Poels impressed everyone when he made his move.”

Directeur sportif Kjell Carlström was pleased with how the day unfolded.  “We imagined a scenario where we’d protect Sébastien throughout this long and demanding day.  The start was relatively easy, but the difficulty increased as the day wore on.  Sébastien managed to fulfil his goal of staying among the best, and we will all be at his side for the next several days in order to achieve a strong place overall.”