Sebastien Reichenbach has been the big revelation of the first part of the Criterium du Dauphiné and today he continued his breakthrough performance when he finished 10th in the queen stage. With the stage finishing in his native Switzerland, the youngster was especially pleased to perform so well in front of his family and friends.

The queen stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré lived up to expectations.  In the magnificent panorama of the mountains around the Emosson dam, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) took the yellow jersey off Chris Froome.  But the stage victory went to a resurgent Lieuwe Westra (Astana).   

Another good day for IAM Cycling found Matthias Brändle spending over 100 kilometers in the break of a dozen riders, while Sébastien Reichenbach once again showed his strength by taking an excellent 10th place on the stage, shooting him up to 8th place on the overall classification.

 
Before joining his family and the many supporters across the finish line, the leader of the Swiss Pro Continental team commented on his day. 

“In the last three kilometers, I started to suffer because of the pace Sky was setting.  I felt the lack of oxygen that comes with that altitude.  But given the level of the riders I was with, I can only be satisfied with my efforts.  Tenth at home is pretty good.  When I saw all the signs of encouragement written on the roads by friends and acquaintances, roads that I train on regularly, it warmed my heart.  It was really special.”

Sébastien Reichenbach has also welcomed the progress he has seen in himself since the beginning of the season. 

“Last year I found that I was comfortable on the long climbs.  So I worked hard and I found that I could count on the unconditional support of my teammates.  They always manage to take care of me, and at the moment of decision, this is when that sort of support really counts.”