26 April 2016
IAM Cycling
THE EXPLANATION
My start was in a lucky time slot, Reto Hollenstein commented after his strong ride earned him an excellent 7th place in the prologue. The road had dried. I had a fright at the bottom of the hill because my visor had all misted over. Then I just gave it everything on the run into the finish. Now we are ready to do everything possible to help Mathias Frank play a leading role in the overall.
THE FACT OF THE DAY
The snow, rain and the sun played with the nerves of the riders and mechanics, especially in regards to the best type of bike to use for this technical and demanding prologue. Rik Verbrugghe, sports manager for IAM Cycling, recognized this conundrum facing the riders. Personally, I was convinced that a time trial bike would be the best solution. All the Movistar riders chose to ride their specialized time trial machines.
THE NUMBER
17 – The seconds that the Swiss teams leader for the general classification, Mathias Frank, lost to the Spanish Movistar rider, Ion Izaguirre. Izaguirre was a surprising winner and as a result will take the first yellow jersey of the Tour of Romandie. Frank, who comes from Luzern in central Switzerland, was pleased to have limited the damage. I rode the prologue with a normal road bike, and I do not regret the decision. I felt comfortable, and I managed to negotiate the most technical parts of the course without problems, in spite of the difficulties presented by the poor weather. I am not far behind the guys who will likely be playing for the general classification.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT
I am definitely disappointed, Jérôme Coppel sighed after he had to run his race under rainy, slippery conditions. Though I had a good start, I lost everything in the downhill. It was really very dangerous, and I did not want to take any risks. I hope to redeem myself in the time trial that will be in Sion. They have luckily forecasted sun for that day.
THE MENU OF THE DAY
Wednesday afternoon for the stage between La Chaux-de-Fonds and Moudon, there will be all sorts of interesting terrains that could well upset the situation. The route that often follows along the beautiful Broye river contains most of the ingredients that can often encourage those riders who dream of taking revenge.
Pictures – BettiniPhoto/IAM
