Tour de France, stage 2 – Mathias Frank – The entire IAM team did a great job for me –

THE EXCLIMATION

“The whole IAM Cycling team did an amazing amount of work for me,” Mathias Frank commented as he was climbing onto the team bus after taking 27th place, 10 seconds behind the day’s winner and new yellow jersey wearer Peter Sagan (Tinkoff).

THE QUOTE

“The Tour is really something different from other races, and we have to forget our old habits,” Oliver Naesen carefully reflected at the end of his second day as a neophyte at the Grande Boucle.

THE EXPLANATION

“I really thought the breakaway would make it to the end because the favorites’ teams refused to ride,” Rik Verbrugghe, sports manager for IAM Cycling, said when analyzing the day’s stage. “In the end, we worked for Mathias Frank and Jarlinson Pantano. Unfortunately, they were caught in a small gap in the final straight.”

THE UNLUCKY

Stef Clement and Oliver Naesen. The Dutch and the Belgian riders on the only Swiss team in the World Tour both hit the tarmac in a mass crash. This did not prevent them from reaching the finish line before being examined by the doctor in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the coming days.

THE MENU FOR THE DAY

A long stage of 223.5 kilometers faces the riders, which will take them from Granville to Angers, but will feature only one 4th category climb. The sprinters should benefit from the relatively easy course before tackling some more marked difficulties in the stages to follow.

Pictures – IAM/Merot & Sirotti (Picture Rik Verbrugghe)