Though he had the misfortune to lose 1’37” being among the many victims of a mass crash 7 kilometres from the finish on Sunday’s first stage, which was won by Elia Viviani (Cannondale), Löfkvist came agonizingly close to his first stage victory on Monday. 

The winner of the Tour of the Mediterranean earlier this year barely missed out on taking the stage when Gerald Ciolek (MTN Qhubeka) surged past him just metres from the line.  

In very difficult weather conditions that included violent rain and cold wind, the IAM Cycling rider, who has certainly been feeling on form the past several days, put the hammer down 8 kilometres from the finish and immediately opened a significant gap. His lead stabilized between 10 and 13 seconds ahead of the fast charging peloton as he flew under the flamme rouge. After the stage the Swede said he would have liked to grab the win instead of finishing third, 6” behind the German sprinter.  

“I am a little disappointed to have missed this opportunity for the win. But I have also found a great deal of motivation for the upcoming stages since I have great sensations in my legs. In the end, I chose to attack because the conditions we ripe for a potential coup; I nearly succeeded in my efforts.” His roommate, Martin Elmiger also threw himself into the mix and managed to finish an excellent 7th place on the eve of the 16.1km individual time trial, which will play a decisive role for anyone who wishes to take the final victory in London on Sunday. 

Elmiger, who recently won the Tour du Limousin, was tightly wound like a cuckoo clock on Sunday after crashing. Now he is ready to take his opportunities as they come. 

“I feel at ease and the legs have been good for some time.  Today, Thomas just missed out on taking a great victory. The time trial on Tuesday is tailor made for Wiggins, but I am confident because in recent weeks I have done well in time trials. I am motivated to give my best in order to improve on my 7thplace in the overall classification.”