Although the cycling season is about to end, Romain Grégoire’s ambitions remain high. So, on Wednesday, in the Giro del Veneto, the young French rider risked it all in the final towards Verona. On the last climb of the day, he was the only rider to hold Isaac del Toro’s wheel for a few hundreds of meters. The Mexican ultimately managed to pull away, and Romain Grégoire had to settle with seventh place in a small chasing pack. On Sunday, he will conclude his season on the Veneto Classic.
A year after his third place in Verona, Romain Grégoire was back on the “Giro del Veneto” this Wednesday, but on a new route. Instead of Monte Berico, it was the longer (4 kilometers) but less steep (5%) Salita delle Toriccelle that had to be crossed five times in the second half of the race, meaning in the last 80 kilometres. The early breakaway had the chance to cover the first laps in the lead but was logically caught with about thirty kilometres to go, approaching the penultimate climb. This is where the first real selection took place in the bunch, and Romain Grégoire, perfectly positioned by his teammates, was immediately able to react to the first attacks, including that of Pavel Sivakov. The rider from Besançon then remained at the forefront until passing the summit, then it was a peloton of around forty riders that entered the final lap a few minutes later. The Groupama-FDJ’s leader could still count on Lorenzo Germani, who proved quite valuable right up to the first few hundred metres of the final climb. “The day was very fast and there was great teamwork all day,” said Stéphane Goubert. “In the final, the goal was of course to follow Del Toro. We knew he was the favorite, but we hoped it would be possible to keep up with him on these gradients.”
“We tried, but it didn’t work,” Stéphane Goubert
Nearly three kilometres from the summit, eleven kilometers from the finish, the Mexican launched the anticipated attack, and Romain Grégoire was the only one to catch his wheel. “The day unfolded as we expected,” said Romain. “We did what we could with our strengths, and the team did a great job, always putting me in the right position. Then it was just about the legs. I tried to follow Del Toro, at the risk of blowing apart, but it wasn’t enough.” After a few seconds in the UAE rider’s wake, Romain Grégoire lost a few metres and found himself isolated, ten seconds behind. “For a moment, I still believed in it,” Stéphane Goubert said. “Romain needed to catch his breath, he really limited the gap, but unfortunately it didn’t last very long, Del Toro continued to push forward, and then it was over.” Caught as he approached the summit by a handful of riders, Romain Grégoire then saw the chasing group grow to twenty riders on the descent. “We could have also raced in a conservative way, played with the risks of the sprint, but we preferred to try to be in front and maybe follow Del Toro, or at least go for second place,” Stéphane added. “We tried, but it didn’t work.”
At the finish, Isaac del Toro secured his victory, while Pavel Sivakov took second place after a late attack. Romain Grégoire took fifth place in the sprint, making him seventh in the race. “He might have finished 4th or 5th if he had raced conservatively, but we had to give it a try given the hard work the guys put in,” added Stéphane. “We chose that option and I approve it 100%. In any case, the team’s spirit was really good, everyone did a great job, and they communicated a lot, which is really important.” “I have to be content with a top-10, which isn’t obviously what we came for, but UAE is so strong this year that it’s difficult to do something else,” added Romain. “We’ll have one last chance this Sunday.”