Mathias Frank (IAM) could not have wished a better first half of the 2014 season. The Swiss won stages in the Critérium International and the Bayern Rundfahrt. Furthermore, he finished second in both of those stage races and in the Tour de Suisse and he was fourth in the Tour de Romandie.

"The first part was really good. I am very satisfied with that. Until the Tour de France, everything was positive," Frank told radsport-news.com, looking back at the first months of the year.

However, the luck left the climber for the season highlight. A heavy crash in stage 7 of the Tour de France derailed his hopes of a top result. Frank left the race with a broken femur and faced a long recovery. "My goal was the top ten. I was in a good position and would have been ready for it. So it was a major disappointment for me," said the 28-year-old who has never had any luck in the French grand tour.

"To date, I've only been seriously injured twice in in my career and that has happened in my only two Tour appearances," said Frank who already left the 2010 Tour after the first day due to a crash in the prologue where he tore a musclein his left thigh.

However, he could still enjoy lots of success in 2014, mainly in the Tour de Suisse where he finished on the pdoium after a convincing performance. He will also remember that race for the birth of his daughter Laura who was born the night before stage 4. A few days before the start, his wife Nicole had been brought to the Inselspital in Bergn where the IAM captain could visit her after each stage according to an agreement with his team.

"But only because we had our team hotel in Bern for three nights at that time, meaning that I was only five minutes away from the hospital," said Frank who was uncertain about his ability to continue the race. "It was a very intense experience," he said about the turbulent days.

Eventually, Frank finished the race in second place and was only beaten by 33 seconds by Portuguese Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida). Again he was the best Swiss rider in the dress rehearsal for the Tour.

In 2015, Frank will again focus solely on the Tour de France. As his team now has a WorldTour license, he no longer has to hope for a wildcard. "This is a great thing. We already had invitations for the most important races in 2013 but now we have certainty," the Swiss said.

At the Tour de France, the goal remains unchanged. "The top 10. Everything else is less important," Frank announced.