Even if it feels as though spring has barely started, Giro d’Italia is nevertheless knocking on the door.  Saturday, May 9th, the hunt for the pink jersey will begin on a bike path along the Ligurian coast between San Lorenzo al Mare and San Remo with a 22 kilometer team time trial.  Similar to the recent start for the Tour of Romandie, the IAM Cycling riders will be hoping to post at least as good of a time to start the first grand tour of the season.  This will also be the first time the Swiss team will be participating in the Giro since joining the ranks of professional teams in January 2012.  Consequently, IAM Cycling is keen to measure up to the expectations of the fans and organizers to prove they belong on the starting line.
 
Michel Thétaz is very happy with his squad already, since they have garnered no fewer than 52 top-10 placings since the beginning of the year.  Thétaz, the founder of IAM Cycling and the CEO of IAM Funds, welcomes this appointment at the vaunted tour through Italy. 

“I can’t pretend that the whole team, including myself, was not frustrated to have been passed over for selection to this race in 2013 and 2014.  We had really done everything we possibly could, but that proved not to be enough, in spite of our strong performances and quality riders. We concluded that the best way to come would be to invite ourselves.  This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why we ended up deciding to upgrade to the WorldTour status.  On Saturday, IAM Cycling will start the race by honoring Hugo Koblet, the Swiss rider who was the first non-Italian to win the Giro in 1950.  Sixty-five years later, I hope to help a young, motivated Swiss team to build on this success.”
 
Manager sportif, Rik Verbrugghe is also convinced that his team could prove to the organizers and the IAM Cycling supporters, that the Swiss team has what it takes to surprise the favorites over the course of three weeks of racing. 

“We have several assets in our game plan that will help us go after stage wins, which will be the first objective of the team.  Matteo Pelucchi recently took second place in the second stage of the Tour of Yorkshire, so we certainly have one of the fastest guys in the pack at the moment.  We have built a group around him to help put Matteo in a position for success; guys like Roger Kluge, Aleksejs Saramotins, and Jérôme Pineau will be a huge asset, and even Heinrich Haussler can be a luxury wildcard if Matteo has been dropped from the group before the final sprint. 

"Sylvain Chavanel will have a free hand to chase stages during his first participation in the Giro.  Stef Clement, who will benefit from the good form he showed at the recent Tour of Romandi, will be a road captain along with Jérôme Pineau. 

"And then another major goal will be to help Sébastien Reichenbach reach as high as possible on the leader board.  It is not a question of demanding he take a top-10, but it will be important for him to gain as much experience as possible for these big stage races.  After having ridden his first Tour de France last year in the service of Mathias Frank, he can think a little more about himself here.  And in my opinion, Sébastien will feel more comfortable racing the Giro.  The pressure is not as great as at the Tour.  The nervousness is nothing like what one finds at the Tour in July.  On top of that, the types of climbs in Italy will suit him better as well.  It will be important for him to ride like a leader, and even if the result is not all that noteworthy, this will have for him a long-term benefit.” 

Roster: 

Sylvain Chavanel (Fr)
Clément Chevrier (Fr)
Stef Clement (Ned)
Heinrich Haussler (Aus)
Roger Kluge (Ger)
Matteo Pelucchi (It)
Jérôme Pineau (Fr)
Sébastien Reichenbach (S)
Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat)