Finally, he had the opportunity to make use of his legs. In Paris-Chauny on Sunday, Paul Penhoët did manage to deliver his sprint after 189 kilometres of racing. Although he was quite far from the front of the peloton after the final corner, the young rider from the Groupama-FDJ cycling team was able to secure a promising sixth place.
Dominated by the sprinters since 2020, Paris-Chauny once again brought together a host of fast riders this season, for the 70th edition. Despite the 1,800 metres of elevation gain and the dozen or so climbs on the menu, a bunch finish was clearly expected in the French town. The race unfolded accordingly. “It was pretty straightforward,” said Thierry Bricaud. “The scenario was quite usual, with a five-man breakaway that quickly went clear. Then there were a few attacks after 80-100 kilometres, in the mid-course climbs. Thibaud tried for us, but it was all neutralized pretty fast, and then the bunch set a good pace. Lotto controlled a good part of the day as they had the day’s favorite, Arnaud De Lie, and since the final wasn’t very hard, the sprint teams were able to control.” “There was a bit of action in the climbs, it tired everyone out a bit, but we still headed towards a sprint,” confirmed Paul Penhoët. The early breakaway was caught fifteen kilometres from the finish, and the sprint preparation began.
“It’s a good way to get back on track,” Thierry Bricaud
About four kilometres from the finish, the peloton entered the streets of Chauny at full speed, and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team wasn’t at the very front. “In this final, you especially needed to be positioned with two kilometres to go because there was a slight downhill section that would take you quickly to the finish,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “Above all, you needed to be in the top 5-6 positions at the last corner, 350 metres from the finish.” “Unfortunately, Cyril [Barthe] and Clément [Russo] got sick last week; they weren’t with me today, and so I wasn’t with the guys I’m used to working with,” explained Paul. “Obviously, it was therefore more difficult to find our way through in such a finish, where positioning is really important.” The young Frenchman eventually entered the final stretch in around fifteenth place. “Paul was a bit far back after the corner,” admitted Thierry. “He made a long sprint that allowed him to come back up, but not enough to challenge for the win.”
Thanks to a solid effort, the 23-year-old rider was still able to secure sixth place, his seventeenth top-10 finish of the year. “I still went for it, because I wanted to sprint after the last few races where I couldn’t, but by entering the corner so far back and knowing the race, I knew it was impossible to win,” Paul said. “In the end, I still caught up with a lot of guys, which shows my form is good, but I knew that.” “We mustn’t forget that Paul has been on a strange run for the past month,” Thierry recalled. “He needs to regain confidence, and that’s not always easy. For once, he was able to sprint without any problems and that’s a good way to get back on track. It had been a month since he was able to sprint properly. The approach wasn’t ideal today either, but he was up there, and that’s important for the end of the season.” Next race for Paul Penhoët: Binche-Chimay-Binche, on October 7.
