On a very hot day (temperature nearly 40°), LAMPRE-MERIDA did not succeed in warming up the passion of its fans.

The 13th stage of the Tour de France, 198,5 km from Muret to Rodez, offered the riders opportunities to attack and the riders directed by Philippe Mauduit and Simone Pedrazzini had the chance to be in front of the race for the second day in a row, after Durasek had was in the main breakaway yesterday.

Unfortunately, no blue-fuchsia-green rider joined the 6-rider breakaway which led the stage from the start until 500 mremained: Pozzato did not succeed in approaching the final hill (570 mt at 9,7%) in a good position, so he crossed the finish line in 38th position.

“Every day our main target is to be in the main attack and today we expected that our riders would have fought hard to be in the breakaway," sports director Mauduit explained." It wasn’t so and it’s a real pity because the breakaway started without too many efforts and two riders succeded in joining the attackers thanks to a counterattack: we missed this target."

“I was aware that it was important to approach the final hill in the front positions but in the battle I found it hard to move up," Pozzato said.

"My legs are getting better and better, so it will be important for me to exploit every opportunity being aware that the Tour de France won’t give us many more chances."