Despite a somewhat hilly course, which the Groupama-FDJ team tried to take advantage of in the final hour of racing, a sprint decided the winner of La Route d’Occitanie’s stage 2 on Thursday. The French squad also joined in the fight at the end, and set up perfectly for Cyril Barthe, who claimed fifth place of the day. On Friday, the general classification is expected to change quite a bit with the climb up to the Tourmalet followed by the summit finish in Luz Ardiden.
At the start of Gignac, the Route d’Occitanie peloton had to be ready for a dynamic warm-up on Thursday, as the Col du Vent (7.3 km at 6%) came right from kilometer 0 in this second stage. “We didn’t really know how it would unfold, but we were up for an active race,” Cyril Barthe explained. Ultimately, five men quickly opened up a gap, and the race situation became clear immediately. “We quickly understood that the peloton was in control, so we didn’t persist too much,” added Yvon Caër. The usual scenario took place, and the sprinters’ teams maintained a good tempo all day behind the breakaway. “It was a long stage, almost 200 kilometres, with very hot conditions,” Cyril explained. “That certainly made the race harder.” With just over seventy kilometres to go, the riders approached the third climb of the day, the côte de Requista (5 km at 6.5%), where Lorenzo Germani briefly gave it a go. Then, as he was barely caught by the peloton, the Italian crashed in the feeding zone. “He’s fine,” assured Yvon. “He’s had time to recover and refocus on his work for the final of the stage.”
“We enjoyed racing together,” Cyril Barthe
In the final hour of racing, the peloton closed in on the three breakaway’s survivors, before easily catching them with fifteen kilometers to go on a slightly uphill section, where the race opened up again. Groupama-FDJ actively took part in the fight, with Tom Donnenwirth, Kevin Geniets, Rémy Rochas, and Lorenzo Germani. “That’s the mindset we want to show here,” Yvon said. “We want to play with our strength as a team, no matter the situation. We thought something could happen, so we seized the opportunity rather than thinking afterwards that we should have done it. We go for every opportunity; we want to be in a positive dynamic. And just because you make an effort with ten kilometres to go doesn’t mean you’re not going to be able to help in the sprint.” Far from it! Although the peloton ultimately remained as a whole for the finish in Carmaux, Groupama-FDJ were indeed able to position their lead-out train to perfection in the final. Cyril Barthe received the support of all his teammates, who kept command in the final two kilometres. This eventually allowed the Frenchman to snatch fifth place on the day.
“I saw total commitment from everyone,” Yvon said. “Cyril was a bit stopped in his tracks and had to make an effort to get going again, but I especially emphasize the attitude of the riders, who all fought towards the same goal. The last kilometres showed great unity, and we have no regrets at the finish”. “A slightly uphill sprint after 200 kilometres is something that could have suited me, and I felt good,” commented Cyril. “I think I’m where I belong, but given the hard work of the team, I would have liked to finish at least on the podium. The team gave me the opportunity to sprint, and I’m very grateful for that. I’m used to working for the team, I really enjoy that role, and they wanted to return the favor today. I want to thank them again because they did a great job. Everyone is doing well and that’s the most important thing. We enjoyed racing together, and we’ll do it too in the coming days. That’s how we want to race and that’s the dynamic we want to be in.” On Thursday, they’ll have to keep it across the legendary Col du Tourmalet and on the slopes of Luz Ardiden. “It’s a big challenge,” concluded Yvon. “With the heat and the elevation, it’s going to be very simple. It will be a matter of legs, determination, and courage. We’ll have determination and courage. We’ll see about the legs, but we’ll do everything we can to achieve a nice stage.”
