The past two days couldn’t have been more different for IAM Cycling.   The Swiss team had hoped to take the good feelings from the strong 6th place in the team time trial for the first stage into today’s second stage, with the intention of riding the wave of momentum to deliver their sprinter Matteo Pelucchi at the finish.  Unfortunately, the Italian sprinter was involved in a big crash 20 kilometers from the finish; he was accompanied by most of his teammates who also hit the deck, and never managed to regain his position in the pack.  That left his friend and compatriot Elia Viviani (Sky) grabbing the victory at the line.  The pink jersey remained within the Orica GreenEDGE team, this time with Michael Matthews on account of the time bonuses he gained.

Jérôme Pineau, who is a road captain for the team along with Stef Clement (29e), was able to give his version of the crashes that IAM suffered in the final kilometers. 

“Initially Sylvain Chavanel knocked Betancur’s wheel, and we all kissed pavement.  That’s not surprising since we were all riding together as a team. And of course, the peloton is nervous in this first week, as with any grand tour.  So when the road narrowed soon after the first crash, there was another one. 

"With the exception of Stef Clement who was in the first group, and Clément Chevrier and Sébastien Reichenbach who were held up by the pile of bikes, everyone hit the ground at least once.  No one’s complaining since it happens all the time in our sport.  Although no one looks to be too seriously injured, even crashes that aren’t too bad can be big handicaps in a stage race.”

Kjell Carlström, one of the directeurs sportifs along with Rubens Bertogliati, made a similar assessment. 

“This is a day to forget as there will be more in the season.  We started with the hope of playing for the win, but we will spend the evening dealing with the wounds that the guys are now carrying.  It’s a shame because when an athlete suffers a crash, the body can suffer and cause imbalances that we must work to heal as quickly as possible.  But I don’t doubt that the guys are strong enough in character to have a good reaction to today’s setbacks, and still show the IAM Cycling colors well.”