The riders at the GP della Città di Stresa hardly had time to enjoy the views of the Lago di Maggiore and the Borromean Islands.  The average speed for the 187.5 kilometer race pushed up to 47.5km/h despite of the hilly final, where Simone Ponzi (Neri Sottoli) took the sprint victory ahead of the remaining 50 riders left in the main peloton.   

 

Marcel Aregger with his encouraging top-15 finished as IAM Cycling’s best placed rider; some less fortunate members of the team were Kevyn Ista who was sick and Reto Hollenstein who was caught up in a crash after 120 kilometers of racing. 

 

“Today I was lucky because I was struggling to keep the pace up the final climb.  I managed to get back onto the bunch in time for the final along with Patrick Schelling.  But we really had to ride hard to make it, so I didn’t have a lot left to set myself up to finish very high in the finale.  However, I am satisfied with my sensations as well as my rank today.”

 

Racing again in Italy with the team after having tackled the Roman roads ten days ago, Johann Tschopp finished his ride with a feeling of accomplishment. 

 

“For two hours the pace was very high.  I tried my luck twice in the sections that were a little tougher, but the climbs weren’t hard enough to force a real separation.  Then I stayed with Jonathan Fumeaux in the group chasing Valverde who attacked on his own. 

 

"My sensations are good and I am putting out good power.  I don’t want to talk about my objectives, but the strong form is there.  This bodes well for Critérium International next weekend in Corsica where I finished 9th overall and 7th on the summit finish queen stage last year.”