For the first time in his young career, Thibaud Gruel narrowly missed a WorldTour podium on Tuesday. In Lodosa, the finish of stage 2 of the Tour of the Basque Country, the Groupama-FDJ puncher joined the final sprint and claimed fourth place, which is his first top-5 finish in a race of this calibre. On Wednesday, the first gaps are expected after a hilly third stage.
For the few brave sprinters who made the trip to the Tour of the Basque Country, the first road stage scheduled on Tuesday was the only opportunity to grab a result this week. It was therefore imperative for them not to take any risks over the 186 kilometres between Pamplona and Lodosa, on slightly undulating terrain. Unsurprisingly, this was perfectly executed, as only five riders entered the breakaway, with a lead that never exceeded three minutes. Within the peloton, the tension only came as they entered the last twenty kilometres, with a small hill followed by a wind-exposed section. However, no damage was recorded, and then the breakaway tried to stay away as much as possible in the final ten kilometres. The last man standing was caught with two kilometres to go, while Clément Braz Afonso and Romain Grégoire brought Thibaud Gruel back in the very first positions. “The day’s goal was to position Thibaud as best as possible before the road narrowed at 500 metres,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “The guys did a great job, especially since we didn’t have a team of specialists to lead him out.”
“It’s good for everyone’s morale”, Benoît Vaugrenard
Entering the final kilometre, the young Frenchman slipped into the wheel of the day’s favorite, Caleb Ewan, and fought to keep it. “We told him his first finish line was at 500 metres,” Benoît added. “Then it was mostly about positioning until the last 200 metres, and he made no mistakes from that point of view.” In fifth place after the final bend, Thibaud Gruel followed in Caleb Ewan’s wake, but was unable to challenge him. On the line, this still earned him a fine fourth place. “I lacked a bit of confidence to open my sprint, but it’s a minor detail,” said Thibaud. “I could have done a little better, I would have liked to finish on the podium rather than fourth, but I’m happy.” “There’s no need to be disappointed,” concluded Benoît. “It’s a great performance from him. I’m also satisfied with the boys’ overall performance. Fourth is obviously not victory, but it’s good for everyone’s morale to be in the mix. We’re now looking ahead to tomorrow, with a stage that’s already important for the stage victory and the general classification.” No less than 3,000 metres of elevation gain will be covered on Wednesday, with a final steep climb (1.4 km at 9.7%) located six kilometres from the finish.
