The weekend in Franche-Comté kicked off this Friday with the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs. At the summit of La Malate, after 175 kilometers, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet was unable to retain his crown, but Clément Braz Afonso and Clément Berthet both secured places in the day’s top ten, finishing seventh and eighth. Attention now turns to the Tour du Jura.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Classic Grand Besançon Doubs finished in the town of Montfaucon, atop the now well-known climb of La Malate, where the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team has already triumphed twice. “We approached the race motivated and with the desire to win because we had the defending champion, Guillaume, but also Clément Berthet, who was making his return to racing at home, and Clément Braz Afonso, who has been going very well since the start of the season,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “We wanted to live up to our ambitions, so we partly took control of the race. Unfortunately, we started with five riders because Maximilian [Cushway] was ill. That changed the plans a bit since he was supposed to handle the start of the race, but we adapted, and Rémy did a tremendous job all day. In the final, Tom took over and that allowed us to enter the decisive phase as we had planned.” Behind an early breakaway of six riders, the French team gradually closed the gap, which had at one point reached four minutes. After the first ascent of La Malate, the sole remaining breakaway rider held only a one-minute lead, and following a controlled chase, the peloton caught him with 20 kilometres to go.
“A very reassuring comeback for Clément Berthet” – Thierry Bricaud
Tom Donnenwirth then led the peloton into the final, notably through the descent and the tricky approach to the race’s decisive climb. Then came the final four kilometres with an average gradient of nearly 9%. “We had no issues with positioning, we were fully in the mix,” Thierry said. “Guillaume just didn’t have the legs. He was feeling quite good, but after one kilometre he couldn’t respond to the first attack.” Clément Braz Afonso ultimately proved to be the most prominent Groupama-FDJ United rider in the final, sitting just behind a leading group of four. At the finish line, he claimed seventh place, just ahead of his teammate Clément Berthet. “Clément Braz Afonso had a very strong climb,” Thierry commented. “I think his level is even higher, but he’s at the end of a cycle and lacks a bit of freshness. Even so, he remains solid, true to himself. Clément Berthet was supposed to serve as a launchpad because he knew he wasn’t at 100% for his return. So he set a steady pace to keep us in front, then produced a good climb at his own rhythm, with a more than respectable second half. For a comeback, it’s very reassuring for what lies ahead.”Next up is the Tour du Jura tomorrow, finishing at Mont Poupet. “We have a strong team, but other squads will have to take responsibility of the race,” Thierry concluded. “We’ll be there as outsiders and opportunists. We’ll be active.”
