James Piccoli: climbing the slope, one step at a time

James Piccoli and his teammates from the Israel-Premier Tech team took the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday, on French roads, where they will try to continue their momentum throughout the next week.

This first stage, contested in the mountains over 192 kilometers, gave way to a massive finish in Beauchastel and it was the Belgian Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) who won the final sprint, ahead of the Briton Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) and American Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost).

For his part, James Piccoli ranked 131^e at the end of this strategic race, marked by the teamwork which enabled the Israel-Premier Tech formation to place its leaders Chris Froome (56^e) and Simon Clarke (72^e) in the lead pack.

“It was a fairly easy race until the ascent of the last pass about thirty kilometers from the finish. That’s when the pace picked up and several sprinters were caught in the back. Our goal was to help the guys stay in good position and it’s mission accomplished,” said the Montrealer who finished just over 4 minutes from the winner.

Beyond the team performance, Piccoli was also happy to have been able to start the competition after contracting a cold in the last few days.

“We did all the necessary tests with our medical team and I got the green light,” he said. Of course it’s a little disappointing to start in this condition, but I already feel better and I’m happy to be able to help my teammates. We will hope that it continues to improve. »

The next few days will therefore be decisive for the 30-year-old cyclist who will want to recover as quickly as possible in order to be at his post for the last two stages of the competition scheduled for the mountains next weekend.

It will then be the perfect opportunity to make his contribution, just as he did earlier this week by helping his companions Jakob Fuglsang and Michael Woods to obtain the double at the Mercan’Tour (1.1). A “very encouraging” performance after a difficult start to the season at Israel-Premier Tech.

“We had a precise plan and everyone did their job well in this race. It’s good for morale and it’s a sign that we can come back strong after a slow start and many bad lucks. We all needed this and we are looking ahead. Personally, besides the cold, the legs are good and I remain confident,” he concluded.