On its first UCI race weekend of the season, Groupama-FDJ United’s development team returned from Northern France with solid results in the bag. On Saturday, Victor Loulergue took fifth place at the Tour des 100 Communes after launching a bold attack in the final kilometre, while Blake Agnoletto secured fourth place on Sunday at the Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers. The team’s positive early-season momentum keeps on going.
Making their return to UCI class 2 races two weeks after claiming two victories at the amateur-level Plages Vendéennes series, “La Conti” first lined up at the Tour des 100 Communes, where Lewis Bower had finished fifth in 2025. A fairly similar course was on the menu this year, featuring an uphill finish at the Parc d’Olhain (600m at 7%) after a demanding second half of the race. “Our plan was to wait until the circuit and then attack on the steep section of the final climb with Victor while keeping Eliott for the sprint,” explained Tanguy Turgis. “Reef did a big job beforehand to launch Victor, who produced a really strong attack.” The young Frenchman was unable to go clear in the final kilometre, however, as four riders managed to follow his wheel. “The idea was for him to go solo,” added Tanguy. “He was close to making it, which is a shame. Then we were missing our back-up card Eliott, who wasn’t feeling confident after some mechanical issues.” Caught just before the finishing straight, Victor Loulergue was then unable to contest the sprint for victory and had to settle for fifth place. “The team showed some really good things,” said Tanguy. “They did a lead-out at the bottom of the finishing climb and really made an impact in the final. It was very positive for what’s ahead.”
“There’s every reason to be optimistic” – Tanguy Turgis
While the first race of the weekend was won by Matys Grisel, “La Conti” headed to the Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers with confidence, on a course that looked less demanding on paper than the neighbouring event. “It’s normally a race that suits crosswinds, but there wasn’t any wind at all,” Tanguy added. “So we expected a bunch sprint. However, the first sixty kilometres were extremely fast. The peloton was in single file, there were occasional splits, and the pace was really full gas. As proof, Karl needed thirty kilometres to get back after a puncture! That intense start definitely hurt the legs.” Although the day’s breakaway put up a strong fight, the peloton eventually managed to bring it back and set up the expected sprint. However, Groupama-FDJ United’s development squad was unable to execute the plan as intended. “The fight for position was quite hectic and the guys lost each other,” explained Tanguy. “They weren’t grouped well enough, and since some riders didn’t have the best legs, it prevented us from organising properly. The problem happened before the sprint, so what followed was logical. They did what they could. Blake tried to help Eliott and let him move ahead because he felt it was the better position. In the end, Eliott went to the left in the sprint where the door closed, while Blake went to the right.”
In a somewhat messy finish, the Australian managed to find an opening and sprint to fourth place, while his French teammate finished tenth. “On paper it’s better than Saturday, but we’re not really satisfied with the performance itself because we’re aiming higher, and because our organisation was not as good as the day before,” Tanguy noted. “I genuinely believe we have a team capable of winning and of having a very strong season. That’s what I told the guys after the weekend. To do that, we need to race together even better, like we did on Saturday. I’m very happy with this first trip with ‘La Conti’, and the staff also did a great job. There’s every reason to be optimistic and confident for what’s next.”
