Every day is a classic.  After the veritable Tour of Flanders on Friday, the peloton of the Baloise Belgium Tour was treated to a mini Milan-San Remo on Saturday with the ascent of the Petit Poggio.  But in spite of how hilly the course was, a sprinter did win the day.  Arnaud Demare (FDJ) secured his second victory in a row, beating Tom Boonen (Etixx - Quick-Step) and Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Soudal).

For IAM Cycling’s day, just like the decision at the finish line, everything was a matter of millimeters.  Thanks to the excellent work of the entire team, and bonuses collected on the Golden Kilometer, Matthias Brändle was able to defend his red jersey and retain his lead in the race by a single second ahead of Demare, who is the current road champion of France.

Matthias Brändle’s first reflex after getting off his bike after the finish line was to thank his teammates one by one.  The Austrian knows that his performance at this Tour of Belgium is above all on account of the excellent team work and because his teammates have protected him throughout the event.  For Marcel Aregger, having such a successful race for the team IAM Cycling has a special flavor. 

“This is my first pro race since my big crash at the Dwars door Vlaanderen,” Aregger explained.  “And today I can tell that I am not afraid to race in Belgium.  In fact, I do not remember even falling.  I have absolutely no recollection.” 

That must be a blessing in disguise for the Swiss rider who suffered a concussion after this unfortunate accident.  But as soon as he was able to resume racing, Aregger has succeeded in showing his usual aggressiveness and incredible dedication to supporting his leader. 

“The target for this stage was to stay all together, and ride like a real team.  Most of the work was the responsibility of other teams to do today.  I have done a lot of work since the beginning of the race, which is normal since we are young and we need to prove ourselves.  But this Saturday we weren’t forced to ride at the front so I am pretty happy.  We could save some strength.  But I am really happy to do this work for Matthias and for the team.”

All their hard work has paid off since the team has been able to defend the red jersey for another day.  And this is a prize that Michel Thétaz’s team intends to defend until the end. 

“What is certain is that Sunday’s final stage will be complicated for many guys, not only for us but for other teams too,” Eddy Seigneur explained.  “FDJ will be trying hard and certainly BMC will be taking part in the final struggle.  But don’t forget that we will have a little advantage ahead of them, and I’d rather be in our camp than theirs.  By that I mean that they have the pressure to get a result, get a victory and destabilize us.  The IAM Cycling team is still leading the race and we will work to try to win this Baloise Belgium Tour overall.  The bonus is that we were here first for a stage victory.  That’s been accomplished, and now we have added four days in the overall lead, so if we win outright, then that will just be the icing on the cake.  But now we must go out and get that victory.”

"Today we have the team was spared a bit," Brändle said. "Tomorrow is a very difficult day. When Greg Van Avermaet went for the bonus seconds at the Golden Kilometer, I was second over the line, so I limited the damage somewhat. Tomorrow I will wait and see. It will be a hard stage and they will do everything to drop me but I will do everything to make the best of it."