“Tomorrow is the queen stage between Ussac and Chamboulive.  It will not be easy to defend Martin Elmiger’s yellow jersey. But the day will be no easier for the favourites who came here to win the Tour du Limousin.” 

IAM Cycling Directeur Sportif Eddy Seigneur describes the tone at the end of the second stage, which was won in a sprint by the Italian Andrea Pasqualon (Bardiani Valvole). IAM Cycling’s Martin Elmiger still wears the yellow jersey, but nothing tomorrow looks easy for the man from Zug. Seigneur confirmed this fact. 

“On the roads around Corrèze, the fireworks might ignite immediately. Today already we had a glimpse of things to come. Our goal was to keep Elmiger in yellow. But the entire team had to ride themselves inside-out to accomplish this. From the start, a group of four men escaped. So Pirmin Lang, Rémi Cusin and Stefan Denifl had to work to keep the gap manageable at first, and then reel in the escapees. Then there was a second break with four riders, which was more serious and gave us a hard time on the sort of small roads that favour attackers. There were dangerous riders like Rossetto and Dupont who could not be underestimated. For these critical moments today, we could rely on other teams to help work, those teams who had designs on a stage win. Consequently, the catch took place within a few kilometres of the finish line.” 

Satisfied with the work done by his riders, Eddy Seigneur is already planning for the next stages. “Naturally we want to defend the yellow jersey until Friday in Limoges. Tomorrow’s stage around Corrèze will certainly be complicated, but Martin Elmiger is a true professional and will have the experience to fight for his place. We also have the luxury of having additional options to consider with Sébastien Reichenbach and Thomas Löfkvist. And while one of us wears the leader’s jersey, we are all automatically more confident and motivated at all times.”