Tour de France – Stage 18 – Marcel Wyss – I helped Mathias as much as I could in the first climbs, but I am not in the same form that as I was in last year because I am lacking some strength –

The second alpine stage of the 2015 Tour de France smiled on a French rider.  Romain Bardet (AG2R-La Mondiale) was among a group of thirty riders who escaped from the first kilometers of the stage and still managed to keep a handful of seconds ahead of his compatriot Pierre Roland (Europcar). Christopher Froome (Sky), not the best on this day, retained his yellow jersey without ever being seriously pushed by his main opponents. 

For its part, IAM Cycling welcomed another strong day from its leader.  Mathias Frank was able to follow all the race moves, and stayed among the favorites when charging into the finish.  With this performance, he retained his three minute-plus lead on his nearest pursuer, Bauke Mollema (Trek).  Jarlinson Pantano did have his jour sans today and conceded more than 27 minutes, but did not lose his spot in the top-20.

Marcel Wyss, a faithful lieutenant for Mathias Frank, commented on his day and condition after more than two weeks of racing.  “The stage kicked off at a fast pace in spite of the first climb coming after only six kilometers.  Luckily Stef Clement managed to get into the main break of thirty guys.  This was perfect for us, and meant that I could concentrate on protecting Mathias and keeping him supplied with food and drink throughout this hilly stage.  However, I was not able to keep the pace up the second part of the Glandon, and so I settled into my own rhythm to finish.”

“I helped Mathias as much as I could in the first climbs, but I am not in the same form that as I was in last year because I know I am lacking some strength.  I have not lost hope, though, that I will still be useful to him in the last two big alpine stages.  The heat makes our task that much harder, but that is the same situation for all the riders.”

Rik Verbrugghe, manager general for IAM Cycling, was especially satisfied with the performance of the team’s leader, especially since Verbrugghe celebrated his 41^st birthday today.  “We know what we have to do between now and Alpe d’Huez on Saturday evening.  We must be on the offensive and not just sit back and wait.  That’s why Stef Clement got into the breakaway today, and then Mathias was able to manage his efforts and even put in a dig on the Glandon.  His 8^th place is pretty firmly rooted, but we must always be on our guard.  If we can continue to ride like this, then we will be able to achieve our goal, which is namely a place in the top-10 in the overall in Paris.  But frankly, I would be more satisfied with a stage victory.”