He waited more than three years to get his first pro victory. The wait was much shorter to claim his second one. Barely a week after winning the Boucles de l’Aulne, Lewis Askey did it again on Thursday, in stage 2 of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. Again, the British rider did so by anticipating an uphill sprint, as he managed to create a gap and maintain it until the finish line. He also climbed to second place overall, while bringing the sixth victory of the season to Groupama-FDJ.
The day after a bunch finish in the streets of Amiens, a more demanding final was on the menu for the second stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque this Thursday. In Crépy-en-Valois, the finish line was indeed located after a 600-meter climb, with a section at nearly 6%, 300 metres to go. Although the sprinters still had every chance of winning, other riders could get involved in the mix, such as Lewis Askey and Thibaud Gruel for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. “Given the finish and their qualities, it was logical to ride for them,” said Frédéric Guesdon. “So we wanted to do everything to make sure they were in good condition to compete in this sprint.” The proof happened even before the final, when the day’s breakaway, made up of five riders, still had a two-minute lead with nearly fifty kilometres to go. “The goal was to ride up front, because we had to be careful of the wind and crashes,” Frédéric added. “It’s also a region where echelons can happen, as you quickly find yourself exposed at the top of the climbs. We were maybe positioned a little early, but at least we were.” “It was a stressful race,” added Lewis Askey. “I wanted to be in front, so we went in the lead quite early, and that really gave me confidence.” At the first time on the finish line, with twenty-four kilometres to go, Frédéric Guesdon and William Green’s men were even leading the pack.
“His strength is his kick”, Frédéric Guesdon
In the final loop around Crépy-en-Valois, they also perfectly approached the short climb located six kilometers from the finish, then Cyril Barthe worked hard to keep his two leaders at the front in the last three kilometres. This was successfully achieved, as Lewis Askey entered the last kilometre in fourth position, and Thibaud Gruel a few metres behind. “They absolutely had to be well positioned at the bottom of the climb, because we knew it was going to go fast and that it would be hard to move up due to the few bends that would stretch the peloton,” explained Frédéric. Still in an ideal position with 500 metres to go, the British rider then decided to anticipate the sprint, as he had done at the Boucles de l’Aulne a week earlier. “He’s a rider who likes to launch from afar, and when there’s a slope, his strength is his kick,” added Frédéric. “He was in a perfect position, and he couldn’t hesitate.” “I still had fresh legs thanks to the guys’ work,” said Lewis. “The plan was to make a long, hard sprint coming out of the last hairpin. After the corner, I saw that there was a small gap behind, I thought “now is the moment to go”, and I got a gap straight away”.
“It’s very nice to be able to pay back everyone”, Lewis Askey
The young man therefore came into the home stretch with a small margin, which proved enough to get the win, after a final, tough effort. “I unclipped on the finish line because I wanted to give it my all, maybe even too much,” smiled Lewis. “Last week’s victory really gave me confidence. I knew today’s finish really suited me. We put the pressure on ourselves this morning, the whole team worked really hard for me, and that gave me a real boost for the sprint. This year, the team gave me the opportunity and the chance to race as the leader, and it’s very nice to be able to pay back everyone.” “He’s for sure in good shape, but once the first victory is here, everything follows,” added Frédéric Guesdon. “He showed that he was capable of winning and that’s something that gives confidence to the rest of the team, who also do this job to live these moments.” Thanks to this second victory, Lewis Askey also climbed to second place in the general classification, but with the same time as the leader Axel Zingle. Two decisive stages are now coming up. “The general classification will mainly be decided on stage 4 and we will try to do our best,” Lewis added. “He has the legs to be up there until Sunday,” Frédéric said. “Tomorrow, there will still be some twenty kilometres of cobblestones, so it will be hard, nervous, and let’s hope we won’t have bad luck”.
