In good form since the start of the season, Clément Braz Afonso perhaps showed it more than ever this Saturday during stage six of Tirreno-Adriatico. Heading towards Camerino, the 25-year-old Frenchman first managed to make it into the day’s breakaway before holding off the peloton until seven kilometres from the finish on an extremely demanding circuit. Although he was eventually caught, he still fought all the way to the line to maintain his sixteenth place in the overall standings. Quite a day!
Before a final stage set to favour the sprinters on Sunday, Tirreno-Adriatico featured one last hilly stage – and therefore one suited to the favourites – on Saturday. As on the previous day, nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain were on the menu between San Severino Marche and Camerino, where a very steep climb (3 km at 9%) had to be tackled three times in the final sixty kilometres. Before reaching the tough finishing circuit, the peloton first had to cover one hundred kilometres including the long ascent of Sassotetto (13 km at 7.3%), but the right breakaway formed shortly before this climb. “It started flat out,” said Yvon Caër. “Van Aert and Van der Poel really wanted to be in the break, so there was a big fight. It only went clear after about an hour, with seven riders, ten kilometres before the first ascent.” In that move was Clément Braz Afonso, alongside Filippo Ganna, Vincenzo Albanese and Gregor Mühlberger among others. “The plan today was to get into the break and, if possible, to have Clément there to anticipate and try to go for the stage,” Yvon added. “Unfortunately, the peloton decided otherwise. They first allowed four minutes, but when we entered the circuit the gap quickly dropped to two.”
“We have no regrets”– Yvon Caër
The gap was even down to just 1’30 as the fugitives reached the first ascent of Camerino, sixty kilometres from the finish. That is why Clément Braz Afonso and Gregor Mühlberger dropped their fellow escapees. “On such a hard climb they almost naturally found themselves alone because the others were struggling a bit,” Yvon said. “It was almost better to be two, with a strong climber who can also pull strong like Mühlberger. I think it was the right option and they did a nice ride together.” The duo even managed to temporarily push the gap back up to two minutes, but on the second and penultimate ascent of Camerino the peloton closed in to just thirty seconds. Still working together, the Frenchman and the Austrian kept pushing over the small uphill sections before the circuit’s main descent. With twenty-three kilometres to go, the group of favourites – reduced to around thirty riders – was only five seconds behind, but everything eventually came back together seven kilometres from the finish, just before the final ascent of Camerino. “Cycling is such nowadays that breakaways rarely make it to the finish,” said Clément. “But we still tried today, and I don’t think I made many mistakes.” “It ended as we feared, but Clément still tried to ride the final climb as well as possible with the general classification in mind,” added Yvon.
Alongside the favourites at the start of the decisive climb, the Groupama-FDJ United rider gritted his teeth in the wheels for a few hundred metres before eventually having to let go. “I tried to recover a bit before the final climb, but they dropped me at the bottom,” he said. “I just couldn’t change pace anymore.” Still fighting, Clément Braz Afonso pushed all the way to the line to finish eighteenth despite the day’s efforts, thereby confirming his sixteenth place overall. “We tried to put Clément in a position to fight for the stage and potentially move up in the GC,” Yvon explained. “It was a gamble, but one worth taking. Clément is very happy with his day and so am I. We have no regrets and once again he showed some very interesting things. He has just raced Trofeo Laigueglia (13th), Strade Bianche (17th) and Tirreno-Adriatico. To be in this kind of condition after such a big block is very promising. He really delivered a very solid ride today.” “I’m really happy with my legs since the start of the season,” Clément concluded. “I couldn’t have imagined this when I was riding for CIC U Nantes Atlantique two years ago. I think I can be proud of myself.”
