Romain Grégoire’s spring campaign continues to gain momentum. Two days after his fourth-place finish at the Brabantse Pijl, the Groupama-FDJ United rider once again played a major role this Sunday at a higher level, in the Amstel Gold Race. He was indeed the one who blew the race apart with 40 kilometres to go, following excellent work by his teammates. Long in contention for a podium spot, he ultimately had to settle for fourth place, in a group that also included Ewen Costiou (9th).
Before fully diving into the “Ardennes Classics”, with La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, another major objective awaited Romain Grégoire and Groupama-FDJ United this Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race. The Frenchman had finished seventh in the race last season, and the course suited him perfectly, with around thirty climbs spread over the 257 kilometers. As in the 2025 edition, the Cauberg, climbed three times in the final third of the race, resumed its role as the last decisive point, just two kilometres from the finish. Before the decisive moves began, nine riders took advantage of a breakaway to build a lead. Their advantage exceeded four minutes but was cut by more than half by the first ascent of the Cauberg. From then on, tension steadily increased in the peloton. The battle for position proved particularly fierce approaching the Loorberg, 53 kilometres from the finish, but Romain Grégoire handled it perfectly. “The guys were exemplary, and we must highlight this very strong collective effort,” praised Benoît Vaugrenard. “Once again, we showed that as a team we are very solid this year in the big races,” confirmed Romain. “You could see it in the positioning. We had everything we needed with Ewen to be in the best possible situation.”
“I dare to take charge” – Romain Grégoire
Perfectly launched by Enzo Paleni, Kevin Geniets, Lorenzo Germani, and Quentin Pacher, the Groupama-FDJ United leader was able to stay near the front of a stretched and fragmented peloton as he approached the Kruisberg, 43 kilometers from the finish, in the top five positions. While some briefly tried to ease the pace, he did not hesitate and opened the main battle. “Romain knows this race, we had experienced riders around him, and we know this is often where things happen,” Benoît continued. “The goal was to follow Remco because we knew he could take us far. In the end, Romain made the move because he felt good, and he did it very well.” “I have more confidence in myself, I dare to take charge, and I think that’s how you have to race if you want to achieve a big victory,” explained the rider. His attack created the first real selection, with only five riders able to follow, including Remco Evenepoel and defending champion Mattias Skjelmose. A few minutes later, those two and Romain Grégoire even broke clear after a crash among their rivals. The trio went on to catch and drop Marco Frigo, the last survivor of the breakaway, while Ewen Costiou appeared in a chasing group of about ten riders, around twenty seconds behind.
At the front, cooperation proved fairly efficient, and Grégoire and his companions held a 30-second lead at the start of the second and penultimate ascent of the Cauberg, just over 20 kilometres from the finish. Unfortunately, it was on these slopes that the Groupama-FDJ United rider had to give way under repeated accelerations from the Belgian rider. “I was in an ideal situation, I had everything to get on the podium,” said Romain. “But I could feel Remco wanted to drop me as he was going really fast on every hill. I didn’t miss much to get over the Cauberg with them, but I lost 10 meters at the top, then 20, and after that it was over.” When crossing the line, Romain Grégoire was only ten seconds behind the leading duo, but the gap soon became definitive. “I tried to disrupt the chase behind Romain, but it was difficult because the speed was really high,” said Ewen, still present among the pursuers. In the final 15 kilometers, that chasing group gradually closed in on the Frenchman. “At first, I told myself I needed to catch my breath and try to get back onto the wheels of the group and still aim for the podium,” added Romain. “I still believed I could get it.”
“We deserved a podium today” – Benoît Vaugrenard
In the final 10 kilometres, Evenepoel and Skjelmose pulled clearly away, while several attacks animated the chasing group. “Once we caught Romain, the goal was to make sure no move went without me and to help him recover,” explained Ewen. “I managed to recover for about 5–6 kilometres,” added his teammate. Ultimately, no decisive gap formed among the eight remaining chasers on the final ascent of the Cauberg, and everything came down to a sprint. “I tried to control things so no one would attack late, which is why I had to launch early,” said Ewen. In a long, hard-fought sprint, Romain Grégoire secured fourth place, while the Breton rider finished a strong ninth. “Once again, I was just missing a little something in the sprint, but I don’t have many regrets,” said Romain. “I had the right wheel and did the sprint I needed to do. It’s the third time I’ve finished fourth in a major race this year (after Strade Bianche and Brabantse Pijl). It’s starting to add up, so I’m a bit disappointed. On the other hand, Ewen was still there, and it allowed us to take two solid results. We won’t console ourselves with that, but we didn’t come away empty-handed either.” “The goal was the podium, I really think we deserved it today, but that’s racing,” added Benoît.
Romain Grégoire has nevertheless matched his best result in a WorldTour Classic, while Ewen Costiou delivered his best performance in a one-day race of this level. Encouraging signs ahead of what’s next. “Wednesday’s La Flèche Wallonne will be a very different race, but we still want to aim as high as possible,” concluded Benoît.
