The queen stage of the 2015 Tour of Switzerland lived up to its reputation especially after having the finish line sit at the top of the climb up the Austrian Rettenbach glacier.  Under the sun and in an environment usually reserved for the best giant slalom skiers in the World Cup, the climbers on the Swiss national tour engaged in an exciting display of mano-à-mano. 

And in that struggle for supremacy, whether looking for accolades on the stage or a place in the overall, the IAM Cycling acquitted itself well once again.  Although Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) was strong enough to take an impressive solo win, thereby grabbing the lead in the overall, Stefan Denifl succeeded in showing his own strengths.

Denifl, helped enormously in the early parts of the stage by teammate Matthias Brändle, rode a smart stage which saw him consolidate his lead in the king of the mountains competition, and nearly stay away on the final ascent until the finish.  Unfortunately, the climb was a couple kilometers too long, and Denifl was passed by a surging Thibaut Pinot with less than two kilometers to go.  Nevertheless, the Austrian still had the strength to ride to a 9th place finish on the stage. 

Likewise, Sébastien Reichenbach came in with an excellent 12th place, which was good enough for him to hop up six places on the leader board, seeing him make an appearance in the top-10 (9th) in the general classification.

Virtually assured of ending the race as the best climber of the 2015 Tour of Switzerland, Stefan Denifl was quick to thank all his teammates, and especially his compatriot Matthias Brändle, for all the work he did in the break today. 

“We talked about getting into this break at the team meeting before the start.  And we managed to find just the right group to go with.  Having Matthias there really made it easy for me.  His strength proved invaluable both in setting me up to get the climbing points on the first categorized climb, but also to have me in the best possible position at the foot of the final ascent.  Then I just climbed at my own pace, giving my maximum.  To have won the stage, we would have had to have a larger gap from the base.  But I am very happy about spending this much time at the head of the race.”

At the foot of the giant slalom course where Steve Locher, another athlete from the Valais, won the opening round of the World Cup 1996-1997, Sébastien Reichenbach was no less pleased with his day than his teammate. 

“It’s a very difficult climb where you really have to manage your resources.  And as far as that goes, Thibaut Pinot and Steve Morabito did everything right.  They had planned not to exceed a certain number of watts. They avoided sharp efforts, and I think perhaps I did a little too much.  At this altitude, every effort is paid for in cash.  You have to do as little as possible.  But I am still happy with how well I did the climb, and I have to thank all my team for their support.”

Kjell Carlström, directeur sportif for IAM Cycling along with Mario Chiesa, wore a big smile at the end of the stage. 

“It really was a great day for IAM Cycling, and I am very happy with the team’s progress on this queen stage.  All the guys did a remarkable job and deserve a 10 out of 10.  The only thing missing at the end of the day was a stage win, but we gained a lot of confidence.”