International Rhodes Grand Prix

Gennady Mikhaylov – Sports Director:

“We knew it was going to be a hard day out, fast, hectic and windy and we tried, but didn’t make the split at the right time in the last 30 kilometers. Brian, Charles and Sam Brand were all up there in the front group for most of the race but were too far back when the final attacks came, and that cost us today.”

“Today was a good lesson for us, no matter which race it is positioning is vitally important and you need to be paying attention all the time. We need to take these lessons into next week’s Tour of Rhodes and make some ground back up.”

Sam Brand:

“It was pretty hard today, a bit like a cold shower, but in the end we only have ourselves to blame. We wanted a better result for our first day of racing back on Rhodes and so we’re all a bit disappointed, because we know we can do better.”

“With Brian, Charles and myself in the front group for most of the day we had the firepower to be there in the top ten, but we missed the last move, and it was a big group that got away and worked well together. We tried but couldn’t make contact before the finish. There’s more chances coming up for us next week and we’re determined to make the most of them.”

Charles Planet:

“I’m a bit disappointed to be honest, my legs weren’t great all day. They felt heavy and I felt like I couldn’t reach my maximum, but I now know how the style of racing is going be here on Rhodes and I think we can adapt better to that next week, so we can train well over the next couple of days and look ahead to four new opportunities at the Tour of Rhodes.”