Stage two climb splits the peloton as Beadle & Kopecky try to survive

Hamish Beadle:

“We had a good briefing before the stage and everyone did their jobs pretty well when things got underway. We covered the right moves. There were some dangerous attacks going and we were onto it, making sure there were two to three guys in most of the moves.”

“Going into the climb we were aiming to get me and Matyas [Kopecky] in the front which we were able to do at first, but then it split on the climb and we were part of the second group going up to the summit. Matyas was feeling good and attacked two or three km from the peak and managed to make up some time.”

Head sports director Massimo Podenzana:

“We knew the climb would be pivotal today so it was all about being smart until we got there. We did all the right things up to that point. The guys didn’t have the legs to make the front group when things really kicked off but were able to limit their losses while for the rest of the team it was just about getting another day of racing in the legs before tomorrow’s double stage.”

“Looking ahead to tomorrow, with two stages in the morning and evening, it’s possible that fatigue will set in in the peloton and we will all get to see how we’ve managed our reserves so far.”