The final sprint could have gone better for Paul Penhoët (10th) at the end of Stage 4 of the Vuelta a Andalucia, but Groupama-FDJ United nevertheless experienced a positive day on Spanish roads this Saturday. Romain Grégoire moved up to third place overall thanks to five bonus seconds collected in the final. The Frenchman now sits in an ideal position ahead of the final stage, also the most selective one.
Heading towards Pozoblanco, the peloton was set for another bunch sprint after 166 kilometres. However, a key factor came into play on this penultimate day of racing. “We clearly wanted to target the Golden Kilometre and the three bonus sprints located fifteen kilometres from the finish,” explained William Green. “We wanted to put ourselves in position for the general classification before the last stage, so we gave full commitment from the start of the race. We controlled until a small breakaway went, and then Valentin was really incredible today. He controlled three riders on his own from the start, then Maxime came to help later in the race.” Groupama-FDJ United took full responsibility for the chase throughout the day, consistently keeping the gap under two minutes. In the final hour of racing, nervousness rose, the breakaway was caught with 25 kilometres to go, and a fierce battle for positioning unfolded ahead of the three bonus sprints. “We arrived for the Golden Kilometre, and we gave 100% with the team,” William continued. “Romain then did a super job to take five seconds in total.”
“We’re in the game”– William Green
More precisely, the rider from Besançon finished second in the first sprint and won the third one before returning to the peloton. Once that key moment had passed, the bunch sprint gradually took shape, despite a late attack from Tim Wellens and Christophe Laporte. Inside the final kilometre, Paul Penhoët found himself on the wheels of Bastien Tronchon and Clément Russo, but the run-in unfortunately did not unfold smoothly for the French sprinter. “It’s a really frustrating final,” William added. “The win looked very possible, but in the last few hundred metres it became very dangerous, and at one moment, our sprint was over.” Paul Penhoët ultimately had to settle for tenth place, without being able to launch his effort. In the general classification, Romain Grégoire now sits third, 49 seconds behind race leader Ivan Romeo. “We’re in the game,” William concluded. “The climb on the final stage suits Romain perfectly — that’s no secret. If he arrives at the finish in a small group, we’ll already have a slight advantage, which could be important. We’re very satisfied with today and we’ll give everything tomorrow. We’re still in contention for the yellow jersey, and that’s why we came here.”
