While part of the IAM Cycling team will be racing in Oman, another group from the Swiss Professional team will also be racing in the heat, but this time in Spain.  Over the roads of the Ruta del Sol, which will see climbs reaching 18% and 21% gradients, the riders from Michel Thétaz’s team will face some of the best cyclists in the world. Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Jurgen Van Den Broeck, and John Degenkolb will be among them. 

IAM Cycling certainly intends to field a top quality team as well. 

“We have big goals for this race, and to accomplish them we have a strong team,” Jérôme Pineau said in anticipation.  “Sylvain Chavanel wants to win the time trial, and he has had that on his radar for a while.  Then for the mountains we have Jérôme Coppel and Sébastien Reichenbach to chase after the general classification.  I was just talking with Sébastien on the phone, and he is in good shape.

"To resume racing after the break, we’ll immediately need to attack two or three very difficult stages. But these are the types of climbs that Sébastien really likes.  And it is the start of the season for everyone, so all the riders are bound to come with ambitions.  Over the days, we will see how it unfolds.  But we are also coming here to build up the sense of the team community, and then the results will naturally follow.”  
 
In any case, the IAM Cycling team is not about to rest on their laurels or just show up to the event, even if the season is just beginning. 

“I’m not just thinking about this race in terms of preparing for the Classics,” Pineau added.  “We want to come here and race with a purpose.  We’ve been three or four months at home, kenneled you might say, so now we are really ready to get some serious racing.  We are definitely going to be tested, each one will see what his level is.  For some of us, we’ll be testing our form and seeing what the response is, while others will be making the race.  But we are certainly not here just to make up the pack fodder.  Each race is important.  Everyone wears a jersey, pins on a number, and so I don’t think that the riders come here simply to prepare for future races; it would be wrong to do so.  For myself, I always want to race.  My recovery went well, I feel fit, so I will be very present in my role as teammate and road captain.”  

Line-up

Sylvain Chavanel (Fr)
Jérôme Coppel (Fr)
Pirmin Lang (S)
Jérôme Pineau (Fr)
Sébastien Reichenbach (S)
Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat)
Marcel Wyss (S)