Apart from a second place to Vicente Reynes, IAM have had a slow start to the Vuelta a Espana. The team hopes to bounce back with a stronger showing in the final two weeks.

Winner Anacona (Lampre-Merida) found the means to finish solo at the top of the Vuelta stage 9 summit finish to Valdelinares.  Arriving more than two minutes behind the winner and the straggling remnants of the day’s successful breakaway, the overall favorites waited until the final few hundred meters to test each other.  In this game, Nairo Quintana (Movistar) proved to gain the most by taking the leader’s red jersey. 

Behind the contenders for the final victory, IAM Cycling found it difficult to keep the pace.  Pirmin Lang ended the day as the team’s best-placed representative in 87th place, 14’01” after having been a member of two escape groups, grinding through a day that was marked by the return of the rain and cold.

 Warming-down and fueling-up, Lang commented on his stage. 

“The last two climbs were just too much for me.  Marcel Aregger and I had already taken off with an escape of 20 guys early on,and then I still was dragged along in another group of 30 that broke off just as the first group was caught.  I tried to save my strength, but there was just nothing left in the tank once the battle really broke out with about 15 kilometers to go to the finish.  I had no legs.”

Rubens Bertogliati arrived yesterday to replace Marcello Albasini and join in working as a directeur sportif for the team along with Mario Chiesa.  Bertogliati was prepared to take the modest results of the team in his stride. 

“We must be patient since many of our riders are very young and competing in their first three week race.  Today, we nevertheless still managed to put riders in the important breakaways.  Some of our other members were more or less saving themselves for future stages.  Starting next week, we will hope to present an even more combative IAM Cycling team.”