Now that he is 25 years old and starting his second season as a professional, Jonathan Fumeaux can lay claim to seeing some promising signs in his development.  The Swiss rider from the Valais region figured prominently both in the GP La Marseillaise and in the second stage of the Tour du Haut-Var most recently; both days he worked his way into the mix of the groups playing for the win. 

 

“At the time, I was a little disappointed in Draguignan at the end of Haut-Var," he said. " On top of the last hill, with 17 kilometers to go, I was trading pulls with the two guys (Moinard and Betancur) who went on to fight it out for the victory.  On the descent, all it took was for one rider to leave a bit of a gap, and we were never able to catch back up to the two leaders.  Here is a case where I either lacked the opportunistic instinct or the patience.  Take your pick. 

 

"The good news is that since the beginning of the season, I have been in good shape.  That really helps your morale, even if you are not going home with the victory at the end of the day. 

 

"Of course, I happily admit that a hilly course with a circuit finish suits my strengths.  That’s one reason why I am looking forward to Lugano.  But any success I have will be no miracle.  I spent a good winter training with a substantial workload.  Now I need to see that my investment will pay dividends.”

 

The team sent to Lugano will be made up almost entirely of Swiss riders; only Jérôme Pineau carries something other than a Swiss passport for the race in the Ticino region of the country.  Though Swiss, this will be Jonathan Fumeaux inaugural participation in this event. 

 

“It’ll be my first time at the GP Lugano," he said. " When I raced for Atlas, I was always slated to race in France on the Lugano weekend.  As far as I understand, this will be a selective course, but should also match my qualities as a puncheur.  I hope that I will have recovered from my efforts at the Haut-Var.  This week I took a pretty intense training ride of 4 hours in order to prepare myself as well as possible.  I hope in any case to be feeling good since we have a strong team here for the race.” 

 

Mathias Frank (S), Jonathan Fumeaux (S), Reto Hollenstein (S), Jérôme Pineau (F), Sébastien Reichenbach (S), Patrick Schelling (S), Johann Tschopp (S), Marcel Wyss (S).