Having lost Mathias Frank early in the race, the Tour de France definitely haven't gone according to plan for IAM. Several riders are suffering from injuries and today the team again played a largely anonymous role.
The final stage in the Alps, which included climbing the Izoard, the highest point of the 2014 Tour de France, ended with Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) winning solo. Coming in only 24 seconds behind the winner, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) succeeded in gaining more time on his nearest rivals.
IAM Cycling’s day in the high mountains resembled the previous stage. Marcel Wyss was the top finisher for the team coming in 28th place at 6’17” behind Majka.
Kjell Carlström, one of the directeurs sportifs for the team along with Eddy Seigneur, explained how the day unfolded for the team.
“Sylvain Chavanel and Marcel Wyss got into the first breakaway, but when that came back, they did not succeed in joining the second group that got away on the first climb. After that, it was simply impossible to bridge back up to the escapees. In the end Marcel Wyss found a good rhythm on the final climb.”
Serge Beucherie, the general manager for IAM Cycling, explained the predicament in which the team now finds itself.
“We lost Mathias Frank in Nancy after he crashed and fractured his femur. We started the race with the goal of being among the animators of the peloton. We have been present in many escapes with Sylvain Chavanel and Martin Elmiger, in particular.
"For the mountains, we now rely on Marcel Wyss and Sébastien Reichenbach. Both have unfortunately found themselves involved in crashes many times. It is not easy to recover from a crash and try to perform at a high level. These boys are brave and will make every effort to react well to the hard racing next week in the Pyrenees. I know them well and am sure they will not lay down their arms.”
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