Reduced to four riders after five days of racing, Groupama-FDJ United’s La Conti tried to make its mark on the final stages of the Tour de Bretagne, without fully succeeding. On the final day, Reef Roberts still made the most of a solid breakaway to take fifth place, while Eliott Boulet secured an overall top 10 (10th). A solid week, but without any major result.
On Monday, Jérôme Gannat’s riders rounded off the first half of the Tour de Bretagne with Blake Agnoletto’s notable stage podium. The momentum seemed positive, but as soon as racing resumed on stage four on Tuesday, “La Conti” was unable to stand out as hoped. In Briec, after 200 kilometres of racing, the morning breakaway prevailed, just a few seconds ahead of a reduced peloton including Esteban Foucher, Eliott Boulet, and Blake Agnoletto. “In a climb before the finishing circuit, the peloton split, around forty riders got away, but there was never any real organization, which somewhat benefited the break,” explained Jérôme Gannat. “We didn’t perform in the sprint, which was a slight disappointment because it could have suited us. However, we were still in contention overall with Eliott and Esteban.” The Breton was even sitting in sixth place before stage five, scheduled for Wednesday towards Lanfains. On a day featuring the climb of Mûr-de-Bretagne, a group of around forty riders once again went clear, but this time fought for the win. “Esteban bravely tried his luck on the final lap of the circuit but was caught,” Jérôme added. “The sprint was once again demanding, with a final kilometre at 5%. We thought Eliott had the legs to get a result, but that wasn’t the case. He was slightly below his usual level.”
“We wanted to race aggressively” – Jérôme Gannat
The young Frenchman had to settle for 15th place, while “La Conti” also suffered the loss of Blake Agnoletto, who crashed and broke his collarbone. Only four riders therefore remained at the start the penultimate stage on Thursday towards La Bouëxière, which ended in a near bunch sprint. “The last 500 metres were at 5%, with a section at 7–8% very close to the line,” said Jérôme. “Eliott decided to go for it as it suited him quite well, but he got boxed in with 300 metres to go, couldn’t get out, and finished with a modest 26th place. It was disappointing for him because he felt much better than on previous days.” In the overall standings, he also dropped to eighth place, 27 seconds behind the leader but only eight seconds off the podium. Everything was still to play for ahead of the final stage on Saturday. “We wanted to race aggressively, because there could still be moves on the demanding Dinan circuit,” Jérôme said. Reef Roberts first made it into the day’s breakaway alongside two other riders, and they even built up a six-minute lead over the peloton.
With 30 kilometres to go at the start of the finishing circuit, he still had a three-minute advantage, with only Pierre Choblet remaining with him at the front. Unfortunately, the cobbled climb in Dinan proved fatal for the New Zealander two laps later. “He was just missing a bit to hold the wheel of his breakaway companion, but he stayed in between at around twenty seconds for a while,” Jérôme added. “Eventually, he was caught on the final lap by a strong trio coming from the peloton.” At the finish, the 19-year-old still secured a solid fifth place, rewarding his efforts out front. “It’s a shame because he doesn’t often get the chance to be in a break that goes all the way, but it came down to the legs, and he simply didn’t have enough energy left,” Jérôme concluded. Eliott Boulet crossed the line four seconds later in 15th place within the peloton, after going all-in earlier in the final. “He tried to follow the counterattack that caught Reef, but he had already made a big effort the lap before, and the decisive move turned out to be the next one,” Jérôme explained. Due to a small split, the Breton also lost one place overall, finishing the race in 10th position.
“We were there, but not at the very front” – Jérôme Gannat
“It could have ended very nicely today with a possible stage win and Eliott moving up in the overall standings,” Jérôme concluded. “In the end, we leave with some frustration. We have to remember that we lost two riders in crashes, while Blake and Soan were in good condition. Their presence was really missed when it came to impacting the race. Once we were down to four riders, we were still present, but we didn’t have the physical or collective strength to take big initiatives. Eliott also lacked a bit of legs in the first few days to deliver better sprints, and we know how important time bonuses are here. It was an intense week, with long and fast stages. It’s still a good experience for our young riders, even if the overall assessment is mixed. We were there, but not at the very front.”
