The second half of the Tour of Guangxi brought its share of satisfaction from Friday to Sunday. More confident, Paul Penhoët managed to secure a fourth place in the fourth stage, but more importantly, reached the podium in the final stage in Nanning. In the general classification, Rémy Rochas and Enzo Paleni finished 13th and 21st respectively in the final WorldTour event of the season. It is now time for the well-deserved off-season.
After three sprints in three stages in China, the second half of the Tour of Guangxi resumed in the same way on Friday, from Bama to Jinchengjiang, across 177 kilometres. After developing some sickness, Eddy Le Huitouze tried to take the start but was quickly forced to abandon. A relatively classic day then unfolded. “It was very hot, 33 degrees for most of the stage, and there was 2,700 metres of climbing,” explained William Green. “The day’s break was small but strong, and with the tailwind, it made for a hard day.” Despite the strong resistance from the fugitives, everything obviously came back together, and a full peloton entered the last four kilometres. Moments later, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team moved into the lead. “The plan was to go early to take confidence, then for Paul to find a wheel in the last kilometre,” William added. “That’s exactly what the guys managed to do. Paul found the perfect wheel with the three Jayco-Alula riders approaching the final kilometre. Then, with 200 metres to go, he found himself next to Magnier. Magnier just opened the sprint, Paul was half a second late and found himself a bit boxed in.”
“It gives Enzo good hope for the future,” William Green
The young man was still able to find his way through and put in a good effort to secure a solid fourth place. “We need to remember where Paul comes from, how many times he hasn’t been able to sprint in recent months, and especially in recent weeks, particularly due to crashes,” William said. “It was one of the first times he’d found himself in this position, sprinting for victory. The instinct wasn’t quite there, but his legs were, and so was his confidence, for him and for the team. That was the positive.” On Saturday, Paul Penhoët also set off for the queen stage, towards Nongla and its three-kilometre climb at 7.2% – with a final kilometer at nearly 15% -, with the desire to return the favor to his fellow punchers/climbers. The peloton once again had a straightforward day, and everything was decided as expected on the final climb, where the early breakaway was caught. “We did the placement for Rémy; it was the priority, but there was no need to be too far in the front at the bottom, because there was a headwind,” William indicated. “Then Rémy executed the strategy as well as he could. We know that the last kilometre is so steep that you have to be patient, and he was, even though it’s not always his strong point. We then hoped that his punch would make the difference.”
The French rider was unable to play a leading role, however, crossing the line in 13th position, 25 seconds behind the winner Paul Double, who went early on the climb. “Unfortunately, Rémy didn’t have the legs, but there are no regrets,” William added. “We also wanted to give Enzo a chance because we know his potential. He got it, he gave it his all on the climb and he only lost 33 seconds (21st) to the winner on a steep climb, for his first opportunity in a strong WorldTour field. He’s still young, we need to remember that, and that gives him good hope for the future.” The two Groupama-FDJ riders obviously got the same positions overall after this penultimate stage, while a more uncertain day loomed around Nanning on Sunday. “We knew it would be difficult because the peloton came back together one kilometre from the finish last year,” William explained. “We thought it would be suitable to be in the breakaway with one or two riders to add difficulty and thus give Paul a better chance in the sprint. Clément managed to take the breakaway and he was very strong.”
“I want to do a very solid work this winter,” Paul Penhoët
Despite a small lead throughout the day, the breakaway held on until the final climb of the circuit (1.2 km at 11.5%), 20 kilometres from the finish. “Clément was caught, but the positive is that he got over the climb with the rest of the team,” said William. “A group of 20 broke away slightly on the climb, with Rémy, and we had the rest of the team around Paul. We were in full control.” The junction took place once the pack got to a flatter section, then everything set up for a 60-man sprint. “As we came to the finish, there were attacks, but Enzo, Rémy, and especially Clément covered them,” said William. “I’m really proud of the way Clément rode, after also being in the breakaway.” “We had a great team, really united,” said Paul. “We showed that on Saturday with Rémy, and the guys worked really well for me again. It was really excellent, and I obviously wanted to do better. I came here with the idea of trying to win, and I think it was possible on this last stage. I had really good legs; I never went into the red on the climb; it was perfect. I chose Jordi Meeus’s wheel in the final. He was on Magnier’s wheel at the start, but then we dropped back a bit.”
As a result, starting the sprint, the Groupama-FDJ rider was a few bike lengths behind Paul Magnier, who went on to get another win. “Paul was coming very fast and got the closest he has for the win against Magnier this whole race,” William said. “He was closely beaten for second place, but to finish on the podium is really super. There is a really strong sprint field here, and this performance comes off a crash in the first stage, then eighth, then seventh, and then fourth. This is really a nice progression, and he didn’t have the usual team around him. We’re really pleased to finish the season like this, for Paul but also for the team. Paul can enter the off-season with high morale.” “The Tour of Guangxi didn’t really start well with the crash, then I was a little restrained and not aggressive enough in the following two sprints,” Paul added. “On this last stage, I came from far back in the sprint, and there are a few regrets because I felt I really had great legs. However, we have to look at the positives and think that we’re on the right track for next year. We finished on a good note, the team was great, everyone was really involved, so it’s still a nice end to the season for all of us. I now want to do very solid work this winter to be in shape from the start of next season and win sprints!”
