Tour of Croatia – Jonathan Fumeaux armed with courage

22 April 2016

IAM Cycling

 

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THE BOLD

JonathanFumeaux. Caught up in a high-speed crash close to the finish of the third stage, the Swiss rider was able to pick himself up and be ready to ride hishardest during the mountain stage in Croatia. “Finishing thirteenth is not the result I wanted or expected. But after crashing yesterday, I can be pretty satisfied with the way I rode and where I ended up today. Iwent in a breakaway that formed early in the stage. After a few kilometers we were joined by another group of riders, which notably also included Sondre Holst Enger. I probably wasted some energy in this exploit, but it could have been worth it. Sondre also tried his own attack with nine kilometers to go, but he didn’t have enough kick to make it stick. Then the team kept me very well placed at the front. Leigh Howard and Marcel Aregger have been invaluable help. On the last climb, I managed to stay with the front group until about three kilometers to go. I really tried everything, gave everything.”

THE REGRET

“I came with a view to place well in the general classification,” Fumeaux continued. “In my heart, I was hoping for a top-10. And when I see where I am in the current ranking, I believe that it was well within my capabilities. Unfortunately, I had a lot of bad luck. I lost 50 seconds on the second stage because I was caught behind a crash. And then my own crash yesterday cost me almost five minutes. My lucky star did not travel with me to Croatia it seems.”

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THE UPCOMING

A team time trial. This collective effort facing IAM Cycling on Saturday will last 40.3 kilometers. Even without a general classification place to defend, the Swiss professional team intends to put in its strongest possible performance. “This team time trial we definitely intend to ride à bloc,” Fumeaux insisted. “On the one hand, it is always a good discipline to practice. And then on the other hand, we have a team that is capable of putting in a strong time. Although we don’t have all the specialists with us, the sprinters can certainly lay down a good tempo. A top-5 seems within reach.”

THE ELIMINATED

Matteo Pelucchi. After finishing in third place yesterday, the Italian sprinter was unable to make it to the finish in time on Friday. The mountainous profile and the summit finish were worthy of the hardest Alpine stages, andPelucchi, along with eight other riders, finished outside the time limit.

Tour of Croatia 2016

Race picture – BettiniPhoto

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