Vuelta Etapa 12 – Matteo Pelucchi: «Luck was not on my side»

IAM Cycling again faced terrible luck on the 12^th stage of the Tour of Spain.  While John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) won the sprint and Alberto Contador defended his red leader’s jersey, the Swiss Pro Continental team was forced to regroup at their hotel with a sense of having some unfinished business.  The sprint was marred by a mass crash that took out many of the fast men in the peloton, including IAM Cycling’s Matteo Pelucchi.  The Italian rider suffered multiple abrasions on his right side and back, and also has large bruises on both knees, his backside and his right wrist.

Lying on his bed with ice packs on his aching legs, Pelucchi explained how the tumultuous final unfolded.

“Luck was not on my side today.  The team had worked well and hard throughout the day.  In the last three kilometers, Sébastien Hinault and Vicente Reynes were able to put me in an ideal position.  At the flame rouge, I was in the top ten, shoulder to shoulder with the other favorites for the stage, when there was a crash.  I was unable to avoid falling.  It’s a shame because I had checked this stage and feel as though I had the legs to be competitive before the crash.  I’m disappointed for the team because I really had our first Vuelta stage win in my sights.  But this is, as ever, the harsh law of our sport.”

Mario Chiesa, directeur sportif along with Rubens Bertogliati, was sorry for his rider and all the team.

“The day passed slowly until we hit the final part of the last lap, which is when everyone started getting very nervous.  Unfortunately, we were among those to have suffered bad luck.  Matteo Pelucchi was well placed by his teammates, but could not avoid crashing when Guardini fell right in front of him, and so he ended up on the ground.  I’m disappointed because we missed a great opportunity to show our strengths.”