There are thousands of kilometers between the white-hot roads of the Iberian Peninsula and the often cooler and wetter lanes found across the English Channel. But this has never stopped the IAM Cycling team from attending the Tour of Britain.
It has raced the British event since the team began in 2013. Michel Thétaz, founder of IAM Cycling and CEO of IAM Funds has always felt at ease at this stage race. And in the past editions, Martin Elmiger, Sébastien Reichenbach and Matthias Brändle, who won two stages with panache last year, have all shone brightly and showed off the colors of the Swiss professional team at the race.
Although the 2015 edition will not feature a time trial, which has often been decisive in the past, the Swiss team, which will be headed by directeurs Rubens Bertogliati and Kjell Carlström, will attend with the intention of throwing its collective strength at the race in order to be aggressive and animate the stages. Accordingly, Stefan Denifl has been preparing with great care for this appointment.
Having won the title of king of the mountains at this year’s Tour of Switzerland in June, the Austrian Denifl is motivated to perform after seeing what the race organizers have in store.
“I have studied the course and it will be really important to pay attention every day in order not to have any regrets. The difficulty stems mainly from the inability to control the race in a way that is possible in other tours. With teams of only six riders, establishing an effective tactic becomes even more difficult. We will have to have quick reflexes to avoid the pitfalls.
"We have a team capable of playing both sides of the fence, since it is clear the early stages will be more selective, and the last days will be reserved for the sprinters.
"I personally have had a lot of special training riders focusing on intensity, but I was not the best at the GP Plouay. So upon my return from the French race, I looked to recover and to be ready for Sunday. Although I am missing a bit of the race rhythm, it should come after some kilometers of this race, and then I can hopefully target a stage to go for the win.”
Riders:
Clément Chevrier (Fr)
Stef Clement (Ned)
Stefan Denifl (Aut)
Sondre Holst Enger (Nor)
Roger Kluge (Ger)
Jonas Van Genechten (Bel)
Sophie DE BOER 34 years | today |
Ayustina PRIATNA 27 years | today |
Jorgen JOHANSEN 38 years | today |
Francesca MORGANS-SLADER 28 years | today |
Milton Javier RAMOS GAMEZ 45 years | today |
© CyclingQuotes.com