On the day when he was selected for the Vuelta a Espana, Matteo Pelucchi proved that he is ready for the challenge when he won stage 2 of the Vuelta a Burgos. Praising the strong teamwork, he will now approach the three-week race with more confidence.

The 10th victory of the 2014 season for IAM Cycling fell like ripe fruit off a tree thanks to Matteo Pelucchi. The Italian IAM Cycling sprinter won the second stage of the Vuelta a Burgos with a powerful sprint in the town of Villas de Amaya.  Having been expertly led-out by Aleksejs Saramotins (9th) and Vicente Reynes (4th), Pelucchi succeeded in putting the icing on the cake after the entire team worked perfectly throughout the stage in order to set him up well for the sprint.  With five kilometers to go Marcel Aregger and Pirmin Lang drove the pace at the front to help keep the speed high for their sprinter. 

It was a good day for the Swiss team in spite of the fact that Patrick Schelling had to leave the race early due to the heavy crash he suffered in the first stage. He will return home to continue his build-up for the Tour of Spain.  Schelling, a strong climber for the team, suffered from a sore left knee and a black eye.  He will also need to have seven stitches in his left elbow.

Before enjoying a glass of champagne with his teammates and the team staff, Matteo Pelucchi (25) happily welcomed this result. 

“I am very pleased with this second victory of the year for me, after my success at Tirreno-Adriatico.  But the victory is very much because of and for the team; they really gave me incredible support throughout the day.  My teammates stayed with me early in the day when we had a cat 2 climb, and helped me over that. 

"Then all went well in the finale.  The guys rode hard at the front of the pack before the final kilometer.  I sat in the wheels and then Saramotins and Reynes launched me before my big effort 20 meters from the line. 

"I have not raced since May, but I was well prepared with an eye toward the Tour of Spain, especially after our training camp in Bernina.  This victory is good for the head and will allow me to continue working toward the Vuelta with confidence.”