IAM have announced their line-up for Sunday's GP Industria & Artigianato.

“This race is going to be explosive,” explained Mario Chiesa, directeur sportif for IAM Cycling in Tuscany.  “The course is very demanding.  I think that a natural selection will take place through the course of the event.  On a parcours like this, a lot of teams will want to be represented at the front.  The goal will be to husband our resources in view of having enough for the final.  In the face of very strong competition, IAM Cycling will have to be active.  We’re going to attempt to influence the race in order not to be surprised by events ourselves.  We can’t play a waiting game, but to go out and be active will be the moto.”

Chiesa will be able to give great advice to his riders. That is because the course for the Tuscan race on Sunday, March 6th, borrows the same route that the Italian road championships used in 1995. 

“That day, I went away in a break,” Mario Chiesa reflected. “I remember it was a hard race.  The very hilly course requires that you race full gas the entire time.  There is no room for recovery.”

The 12 kilometer climb of San Baronto with sections that pitch up to 10% gradients will set the rhythm for the final circuit of the GP Larciano.

“We will climb it four times,” Chiesa explained.  “And we will climb it from its steepest side. The climb is steep and the descent is technical.  The race will be decided on this slope.”

“I always try to give the absolute best of myself in every race,” Jonathan Fumeaux, who comes from the Valais region in Switzerland, affirms.  “I’m lucky to have been in good condition since the beginning of the season.  Honestly, I would love to get a strong result in Italy this weekend.  This race should suit me very well.  The course is perfect for a rider of my qualities since I am more of a puncheur climber. The final will be decided on the circuit, and that is a sort of scenario that I like.”

Line-up

Marcel Aregger (S)

Clément Chevrier (F)

Martin Elmiger (S)

Jonathan Fumeaux (S)

Pirmin Lang (S)

Simon Pellaud (S)

Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat)

Marcel Wyss (S)