Critérium du Dauphiné – Stage 1 – Marcel Wyss «When Kennaugh countered my attack, it was too late; he really surprised me»

The sweltering heat that accompanied the first stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné could have taken some of the gas out of the bunch.  But Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) found the resources to sneak in a surprise solo victory barely ahead of the bunch in Albertville.  With 15 kilometers to go, IAM Cycling’s Marcel Wyss put himself into a position to be similarly successful by taking a flyer with four other riders, among whom numbered the eventual winner.  Wyss, who is in excellent shape and great spirits, just didn’t have the trigger-fast response and accompanying luck that would have brought him his first win with IAM Cycling on French soil this season.

After having spun out his legs on the rollers to recover from a hard day, Wyss was happy to give his impressions of the stage.  “It was really hard today.  The stage was not long, but its because of that, everybody wanted to have a go at the victory.  Of course it was very nervous.  Then you add in the serious heat, and it was a tough day.  This is the first time I have raced in these sorts of extremely hot conditions this year, which plays a little with your system.”

Nevertheless, Wyss was not about to let a bit of hot weather prevent him from making a great stab at the victory.  “I tried to attack the pack with 15 kilometers to go.  We had a bit of a gap, but it really just was not enough.  Unfortunately, when I put in the first attack, the mini break was not really formed, so I didn’t have the necessary buffer.  So then when Kennaugh countered my attack, it was too late; he really surprised me.  I feel good right now.  I just came back from training at altitude at the Bernina pass and then joined in the reconnoitering of the Pyrenean stages, so my condition is pretty good.  These few days with the team have helped me to gain confidence, and I also have found a great cohesion within the group.  I have to give a big thanks to the entire group of people on the team who have organized everything, because I know that these races are really important for me in my preparation.”

The strong performance of the day reiterated how hard all the riders worked recently with Marcello Albasini in order to be prepared for one of the last major tests prior to the Tour de France.  Rik Verbrugghe, who is acting as a directeur sportif at this race along with Eddy Seigneur, can appreciate and recognize the effort.  “We knew by the time we reached the second to last and last climb that the peloton would be attacked, so I asked riders like Marcel Wyss and David Tanner to try and follow the moves.  They did exactly that, and we were effective with our aggressive racing.  In the end, Marcel was just unlucky.  In fact, when Peter Kennaugh attacked, Marcel was at the front, which is the hardest position from which to see a move coming.  But hey, it was a great race, and it shows he is in great condition.  And in general, all the IAM Cycling riders are obviously fit here and ready mentally to race, which is very important.”