Down to just 5 riders, IAM have had a difficult first two weeks in the Vuelta a Espana. However, the team is satsified with its performance that has included to near-misses in the first week.

The gorgeous region of Galicia is welcoming the survivors of the Tour of Spain on their second rest day.  Housed in a beautiful hotel in Santa Cruz de Oleiros with views of the estuary as well as the city of Corunna, IAM Cycling took the chance to recharge its batteries in order to rally to the finish on Sunday in Santiago de Compostela, where a short individual time trial that covers a small portion of the famous pilgrims route, will mark the final stage of the race.  The five IAM Cycling riders who are still racing, after teammates Aleksejs Saramotins, Johann Tschopp, Dominic Klemme and Matteo Pelucchi were forced to abandon for various reasons, went out for an enjoyable ride under sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. 

In the meantime, Serge Beucherie, the team’s sports manager, came to meet with his riders.  He also took the opportunity to discuss the situation the team faces after two weeks of racing which has been happening at the same time that the management is working behind the scenes to strengthen the team for next season.
 
- Serge Beucherie, what is your assessment of the first two weeks for the team at the Tour of Spain?
- Prevented by a previous appointment to join the team during the first rest day in Zaragoza, I wanted to come at least to the second rest day to give my morale support to this young team, which has on a couple occasions been very close to grabbing a great stage victory.  We came close to landing a stage win first with Vincente Reynes 2nd place and then Johann Tschopp’s 4th place on a climbing stage.  I can say without blushing that we have done well.  And considering the profiles of the stages on Wednesday and Thursday, we still believe in our chances.  I can tell you in any case that the guys are really motivated.

- Is bad luck mainly to blame for the abandonments that IAM Cycling has suffered?
- This Vuelta has been very difficult.  We must remember that the extreme heat in the first week took its toll on many riders.  And we should also highlight the overall profile and high level of rivals at the event, particularly Contador, Froome, Valverde and Rodriguez.  Bad luck has had its way with us to a certain extent, looking especially at crashes suffered by Saramotins and Pelucchi, to say nothing of the illness Tschopp suffered just before the race hit his favorite terrain.  Don’t forget, too, that ours is a very young team.  Aregger, Fumeaux and Lang are all competing in their first three week tour.  

- Even while acknowledging the bright points and mitigating factors of the situation, isn’t IAM Cycling in the process of bringing in reinforcements for next season?
- With Michel Thétaz, general manager and founder of IAM Cycling as well as the CEO of IAMFUNDS.CH, we have been working for several months with an eye toward our plans for 2015.  We are talking to riders and riders’ agents.  For the moment, we are not going to unveil anything.  We can guarantee that we will respect the balance we have between the riders for the Flanderian and Ardennes classics, while recognizing that we must strengthen the support we can give Mathias Frank in the mountains.