Matthias Brändle «Hunger knock stopped me»

The queen stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, which culminated in a summit finish after 244 kilometers of racing lived up to the expectations of fireworks when Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) made a cagey attack that won him the day.

During the fierce battle among the greatest cyclists in the world, IAM Cycling realized that it still had some work to do before it could realistically challenge the top stage racers in the peloton.  Marcello Albasini, in view of the results, put in perspective the fact that the IAM Cycling team leader for the race was missing from the front, while emphasizing the great work accomplished by Matthias Brändle.

“First, we must not forget the primary purpose of our coming to this race, which is to prepare for our goals in the Classics.  We have already won a stage with Matteo Pelucchi, which is a great success. Unfortunately today neither Thomas Löfkvist nor Marcel Wyss had a good day.  There is no need to be overly dramatic about it.  I prefer to concentrate on how well Matthias Brändle performed.  He was on the front of the breakaway for over 220 kilometers, which is not something that just anyone can do.  It will give him great confidence going forward, particularly in view of the fact that he was sent here at very short notice once it became clear that Vicente Reynes would not be healthy enough to take the start.”

Ever ready to take part in a breakaway, Matthias Brändle was pleased with how well his insanely long break lasted, though he was sorry not to have had more energy for the finale.

“I felt good throughout the day.  My breakaway partners and I got along well and worked well together.  But in the final climb, hunger knock hit me with about 3 kilometers to go until the summit.  I almost completely bonked and had to drink a whole can of coke in order to find the energy to finish.  In the grand scheme of things, that didn’t really impact where I sit in the overall.  I’m satisfied with my day and it encourages me to continue to work to be in top condition for the stages to come.”