Just three days after claiming his first victory of the season, Romain Grégoire came close to doing it again this Wednesday at the Trofeo Laigueglia. Breaking away in a group of four with thirty kilometres to go, the young Frenchman looked capable of taking the win for a long time, but he ultimately had to give way to Santiago Buitrago in a grueling final along the Ligurian coast. The Groupama-FDJ United rider nevertheless secured an excellent second place, a promising sign ahead of Strade Bianche on Saturday.
The Italian calendar officially got underway this Wednesday with the Trofeo Laigueglia, a race won by Groupama-FDJ United in 2024. Sixth in his first participation a year earlier and freshly crowned with his first win of the season, Romain Grégoire arrived in excellent form on a well-known course featuring, notably, three ascents of the Colla Micheri (2 km at 8.5%) and Capo Mele (2 km at 3.5%) in the final thirty-five kilometres. Before the race was decided on these climbs, the opening phase followed a fairly classic pattern, with a ten-man breakaway controlled by the peloton. At the halfway mark, things began to evolve as the riders tackled the longer climbs of Testico and Cima Paravenna. Louis Vervaeke went clear at the front while the peloton was significantly reduced. “Enzo positioned the guys very well at the foot of the first climb,” explained Yvon. “The two climbs were ridden at a high tempo, and there were only about sixty riders left in the peloton afterward. We still had Romain, Tom and Clément.”
“Tom did an extraordinary job” – Yvon Caër
The peloton then headed toward the finishing circuit, where Romain Grégoire could rely on his remaining teammates. “The first ascent of the Colla Micheri, thirty-three kilometers from the finish, was a key moment,” Yvon added. “At that point, Tom did an extraordinary job. He positioned Romain perfectly, and they were first and second at the bottom of the climb, which put Romain in ideal conditions.” That proved decisive as Bahrain-Victorious set the pace from the very first ascent with Antonio Tiberi and Santiago Buitrago. The French puncheur managed to follow them to the summit, along with Quinten Hermans. “He reacted immediately, and on this kind of circuit, it’s better to be in the mix right away rather than chasing,” confirmed Yvon. The quartet worked well together to hold off a reduced peloton in pursuit. The gap hovered around twenty seconds for several kilometres before the second ascent of the Colla Micheri, where Hermans was dropped and Vervaeke was caught at the summit by the trio formed by Grégoire, Tiberi and Buitrago.
With fewer than two laps remaining, only three riders were left at the front, but the pressure from the chasers prevented any easing of the pace. Approaching the final ascent of the Colla Micheri, the gap was stabilized, and Bahrain-Victorious tried to make their numerical advantage count. “Tiberi played the Buitrago card,” Yvon explained. “He attacked very hard from the bottom. Romain closed the gap, but Buitrago launched a strong counterattack after 400 metres. There were still 1.5 kilometres of climbing left. It became more of a climber’s effort than a puncheur’s, which put Romain in trouble. He tried to limit the damage and came over the top ten seconds behind, but the strongest rider had gone clear. Tiberi then came back to Romain on the descent.” In the final eight kilometres, the 23-year-old from Besançon tried to lead the chase but was unable to take back time on the Colombian. The climb of Capo Mele definitively settled the positions, yet the Groupama-FDJ United rider kept pushing until the flamme rouge to hold off the chasers.
“It’s a very positive day”– Romain Grégoire
In a hard-fought sprint, he secured second place ahead of Tiberi, capping off a strong performance. “Being one against two in the final, it was certainly tactical, but it was also physical,” Romain said. “I couldn’t follow Buitrago, and then I rode to secure a podium place. I expected to finish third, but I managed to take second in the sprint. My form is good, I’m confirming after Sunday’s victory, and I think this was the best result we could achieve today. So it’s a very positive day for me and the team.”“The confidence from his win on Sunday is clearly showing,” Yvon concluded. “He’s taking initiative and simply has very good legs. With time, he’s continuing to build momentum and grow stronger. It bodes well for Saturday.”
