Michael Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) soloed to a win in yesterday's Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana. We have already posted several reactions and have gathered a few more below.

 

Pedrazzini (sports director Lampre-Merida whose best rider was Damiano Cunego in 17th)

"After two wins, we knew it would not be easy to win again because the other teams would give us the task of controlling the race. So it was, but the answer of our athletes was impeccable. All have given an good contribution to the pursuit of the escapees, with the intention of offering Ulissi and Rui Costa the chance to try to fight for a good result in the end.

 

"I was pleased to see riders like Cunego and Horner make themselves available to the team. They have been at our disposal, knowing that they have to work to reach a level of competitiveness that will enable them to aim at their targets for the coming months.

 

It is a shame that we missed the chance to stay in contention until the end as our riders were boxed in in the very fast descent and were unable to make up positions."

 

Tanel Kangert (Astana, part of the early breakaway, 9th +0.27)

“After 60km I felt worse, but I don’t know if it was experience or what that got me to the top of that climb before the leaders – five of us from the original breakaway were all downhill  to the finish together.

 

“In the spring races, I am always bad because I burn so many calories on short efforts and I’m exhausted – but if I can go 10 or 15 days it gets better and I feel stronger. I feel like I need to go through it, to get it done.”

 

Uwe Peschel (sports director Katusha whose best rider was Yury Trofimov in 11th and who had Maxim Belkov in the early break)

“He tried 5 or 6 times to get in the front and in the end Maxim succeeded. In the end of the race Movistar and Omega Pharma – QuickStep were pulling to get the riders back but Max did a superb race today.

 

“Our riders showed good motivation. Also Giampaolo Caruso and Alexander Kolobnev were close by. The condition of our group is good.”

 

Roger Kluge (IAM, did not finish)

“I’ll be 100% ready for Gent-Wevelgem.  Today the race unfolded at a brisk pace.  When I found my own rhythm, I was able to join back up with the lead pack, but I ended up cracking in the final.  I still have some things I can improve.  Every day I see progress, though.  I am working hard in Mallorca, and I will stay here another ten days to train.  My first real test will come at the Kürne-Bruxelles-Kürne in early March.  There I will be able to say where I really am in my preparation.”

 

Marcello Albasini (sports director IAM whose best rider was Reto Hollenstein in 21st)

“I am definitely surprised.  Today Roger (Kluge) showed his courage after having been dropped on the first climb.  He showed incredible presence of mind even though the profile of the race did not match his strengths.”

 

Antonio Piedra (Caja Rural, part of the early break, 15th +0.27)

"I felt good. The feeling was good and we tried. We need to continue out fight for another day to see if we have more luck. The team has repeatedly had a phenomenal presence in the race and been with the best until the end."

 

Jaime Garzon (sports director Caja Rural whose best rider was Luis Leon Sanchez in 8th)

"For another day, we tried to take the victory, hoping that the favourites would make an error in calculation. Antonio Piedra was as professional as always and did his job to perfection. He will get his reward. Luisle was our leader and was where he needed to be. Marcos (Garcia) has also done a great race, protecting the team's interests. The entire team was good, knowing where and how they had to contribute. I am definitely happy and excited with this group."

 

Javier Mejias (Team Novo Nordisk, part of the early breakaway, 29th +0.31)

“I felt really good on the last climb. Unfortunately it was not enough because the final kilometers were so hilly and I had already expended so much energy.

 

“Piedra and I worked very well together. We spoke and decided to go at it jointly because it was such a big opportunity. We did fantastic together on the final climb.

 

“I will try again; I don’t have anything to lose. I will see how I feel, but if I’m feeling good, I will try again.”

 

Enrico Poitschke (sports director NetApp-Endura whose best rider was David De La Cruz in 12th)

"David rode a very good race today. His 12th place spot is something we can build on in the coming weeks. For Tiago (Machado) and Jose (Mendes) it was the first race of the season. It was good that they showed their stuff on the final climb. The result at the end is then not quite so crucial."

 

Johann Van Zyl (MTN-Qhubeka, 124th +17.41)

“The main goal was to ride for Linus (Gerdemann) today as we started in his home town and he has won this race before in 2010. The race started off really fast, I averaged 340watts for the first hour of racing, but we were all set up nicely leading into one of the most important sections of the race.

 

“The Coll de Soller was the penultimate climb on the stage and the team had to make sure Daniel (Teklehaimanot), Sergio (Pardilla) and Linus were positioned in the top 20 before the climb. After I dropped Daniel off I noticed Linus was missing. He had mechanical and Martin (Reimer) gave him a wheel. I paced him back to Ignas (Konovalovas) and then he took over for as long as possible but eventually it was impossible to get back to the front."

 

Michal Podlaski (ActiveJet, 58th +10.12)

"It was uphill form the beginning and the pace was so fast that I didn't know what was going on. Later the break went away and things calmed down but the final climb was extremely hard. When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, the pace was really fast and I started the climb too far back. Team Sky worked hard and there was no chance to attack. Let's be realistic: we are racing against great riders and it is hard to get a good result. We are glad, however, that we can participate in these races. it certainly raises our level and will pay off in the future. Applause and congratulations to Michael Kwiatkowski, we are very pleased with his victory."

 

Piotr Kosmala (sports director ActiveJet whose best rider was Michal Podlaski in 58th)

"The race showed who are the strongest climbers. Our guys tried to keep up with the best as long as possible. I have special applause for Michal Podlaski who has never before raced so early in the season and it is against riders who are good climbers. We had another lesson that will pay off in the future. Now we already focus on the final day at the Challenge Mallorca and we hope it will be a good one for us."

 

Bennie Lambrechts (sports director Cyclingteam De Rijke whose best rider was Huub Duyn in 92nd)

"At this point of the season, it is important to go hard and sometimes don't care about the result.

 

"The pace was very fast from the first kilometre. Some riders had trouble right from the start and then you have a long day in the saddle.

 

"The field is very strong here, and there are mostly climbers at the start. And we simply cannot compete with them. That's okay. It is now mainly an investment for the coming months. In this kind of races where you end up cracking, you will become a lot stronger rider."

 

Christoph Pfingsten (Cyclingteam De Rijke, 97th +17.41)

"I know myself that I need a number of race days to be good. But I think that I'm better than last year at this time."

 

Kobus Hereijgers (Cyclingteam De Rijke, 98th +17.41)

 "It was actually a lot better than the last races. In the beginning, everything hurt, but after a while I got over it."