16 June 2014
IAM Cycling
Cameron Meyer (Orica GreenEDGE) won todays stage at the Tour of Switzerland out of a successful breakaway. There were no major changes in the overall classification. Tony Martin (Omega Pharma Quick-Step) retained his leaders jersey, while Mathias Frank is the new leader in the best-placed Swiss rider competition. IAM Cyclings Reto Hollenstein was a major player in todays stage.
He was one of the drivers in the breakaway group along with Cameron Meyer, but unfortunately was not able to hang onto the leaders long enough to be with them in the finale. He was, of course, a little disappointed immediately after the race.
“I wanted to get into the lead break today. Soon after the beginning of the stage, we established ourselves as a group of six. It was only after that that I realized I did not have the best legs today. It just wasnt going to be my day. Nevertheless, I did my best and tried to pick up some of the moutain prizes. There, at least, I managed to collect some points. But Bjorn Thurau managed to crest the long passes a bit faster than me.” When the lead group had already climbed the Gottard, Furka and Grimsel, and with the final Brünig to tackle, Hollenstein did not have the necessary reserves to follow the climbers accelerations. In spite of his best efforts to reconnect with the group, he was eventually mopped up by the field. Three of the riders from the initial six did make it to the line with 14 seconds in advance of the peloton. “Its a pity that I didnt have the legs today. For once I had found the right group, but just could not keep up. It just was not possible under the circumstances, and at the end I could only go at my own rhythm. I hope that next time luck is on my side. “
Kjell Carlström, one of the directeurs sportifs on site, was generally satisfied with how the queen stage unfolded, but regretted the missed opportunity for Hollenstein.
“It was actually a good day for us. We had Reto Hollenstein in the break, but it is just too bad that he could not keep up with the other three at the end. Heinrich Haussler also had some trouble on Brünig, but managed to catch back up with the group at 5 kilometers to go, with a lot of help from Martin Elmiger. Thanks to Hollenstein we certainly had some coverage on the TV today. A win would have been perfect, of course. That Mathias Frank took over the best swiss jersey at the moment was not a surpise since we figured Fabian Cancellara might have some trouble over the passes. To lead in that classification is certainly nice, but I do not think it will have that much of an impact on the race. “
