CyclingQuotes.com Pelucchi: I had the legs to beat Bouhanni

GRAND PRIX DENAIN

RACE PROFILE

IAM CYCLING

MATTEO PELUCCHI

17.04.2014 @ 23:50 Posted by Emil Axelgaard

Earlier this year Matteo Pelucchi firmly established himself as one of the future sprinters when he beat all the stars in a stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico. Today he further underlined his potential when he finished second in the big French sprint race, GP Denain, and even though the result gave him a lot of confidence, he has a sense of disappointment after feeling that he had the legs to beat eventual winner Nacer Bouhanni.

Though he missed out on a victory by the narrowest of margins, Matteo Pelucchi has confirmed his good form by taking an excellent 2nd place at the GP de Denain, bested only by Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr). Directeur sportif for IAM Cycling, Rubens Bertogliati was pleased with the performance not only of his sprinter, but of the entire team.

“Even if a win would have been fantastic, Matteo Pelucchi still impressed by taking a brilliant 2nd place. But for me, the victory of the day consists in just how well the team rode together. A sprint is like the goals in a football match, which can often be a lottery. Just a grain of sand can disrupt the mechanics. So it is important to emphasis the work done by the whole group.

"We talked Wednesday night in the team meeting and knew that on the last lap of the circuit, we would have to take control of our race. Everyone put in his best effort. At one point in the final, Matteo lost Roger Kluge’s wheel. But he kept his head and remained on Bouhanni’s wheel, and there was every chance that it could happen.”

Having earned IAM Cycling’s first World Tour victory earlier this season at the Tirreno-Adriatico, Matteo Pelucchi left directly after the race today to join the team participating at the Tro Bro Léon in Brittany, having gained a great deal of confidence from his performance.

“I’m really happy even though I was not able to reward the team fully for all the work they did for me today. But all the guys were motivated and showed their best qualities. I was well take care of in the final by Kevyn Ista and Roger Kluge. When I lost Roger’s wheel, I managed to maneuver on my own.

"Even though I feel like I had the legs to win, I also have to recognize that Bouhanni managed himself perfectly on the finishing straight. A sprint is never an exact science. Nevertheless, I am still happy with this second place, and it will give me a big boost for the upcoming races.”

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