As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Though perhaps a little hackneyed, the line certainly fits the situation. In view of the difficulties Matteo Pelucchi had during the first stage, the joy of winning the second stage offered that much more of a striking contrast. Pelucchi once again was the beneficiary of excellent support from his team, and repaid them by reaching the finish line as the winner.  With 200 meters to go, Pelucchi narrowly missed another bout of ill-luck, but then made use of his considerable power and speed to beat Marcel Kittel (Giant - Alpecin) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory) on the line.

Once across the finish line, and somewhat calmer after the excitement, Pelucchi gathered himself very quickly.  A change of clothes, a trip to the podium, and answering multiple questions from surrounding journalists occupied his time directly after finishing. Of course, there was a crowd of people anxious and waiting to have an autograph or a photo with the winner. 

Despite the ruckus, Matteo Pelucchi immediately found the words to describe this first World Tour victory for IAM Cycling this season, and the 12th victory in total for the team. 

“I dedicate this success to the entire IAM Cycling team, everyone who works around us and for us.  This is my first World Tour victory this season, (already a stage winner at Tirreno Adriatico in 2014), and this year is the 20th anniversary for IAM Funds, so this win has a special flavor. 

"My season started well with two wins in Mallorca.  Then I had a bad crash in the first stage of Tirreno.  It took a lot of time to get over that.  Then I trained hard for the Giro, but crashed early there too.  I still managed to take second place in one of the sprint finishes, but I was not at my best.  So I decided to cut my losses, and really take time to treat my injuries. 

"Now I have arrived in Poland motivated and in form.  The objective is achieved.  The sprint today was very nervous, everyone wanted to be well-positioned for the sprint.  I was very lucky to have avoided the pileup in the finale, especially going at the speeds we were. 

“It was a very fast, very confusing bunch sprint; we were all super close and there was a fall just a few metres from the finish. I managed to find some room to the left at just the right time and so I managed to beat Kittel. I’m happy to have won in Poland; there is a fantastic atmosphere here.

"For me, this win is like a dream because I have worked hard and extensively, especially in training camp, with a desire and motivation to have a victory in the Tour of Poland.”

Two weeks earlier, Matteo Pelucchi was indeed training at the Bernina pass to get some time at altitude under his belt, and with the watchful guidance of Marcello Albasini.  The Swiss trainer and directeur sportif for this race along with Rubens Bertogliatti explained the main points of how he worked with the day’s winner. 

“This success is great for the IAM Cycling team, but especially for Matteo.  I am truly delighted to see him raise his arms in victory on this stage.  He worked hard for it.  During the training camp that we had between the 14th and the 29th of July, we worked on his power first, and then we focused on how he starts sprints, where he can still improve I am sure.  But today, he did a great job.  I have no doubt that he can be even better in the coming races.”