Results keep coming for “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ United at the Ronde de l’Isard, yet a sense of frustration remains after two stages in the Occitanie region. On Wednesday, Baptiste Grégoire claimed a convincing sixth place in an uphill sprint, though not without regrets after being overtaken in the final 50 metres. On Thursday, Johan Blanc finished second, but was unable to fully contest the victory after getting caught out in a corner 1,500 meters from the finish, just like his teammate Soan Ruesche (6th). Eliott Boulet also made the top 10 (8th) on the eve of the race’s first mountain stage.
A historic and prestigious event on the U23 calendar, the Ronde de l’Isard began its 48th edition this year in Biars-sur-Cère. The opening stage took the riders to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie after 162 kilometres, ending with a 1.7-kilometre climb averaging 7%, with sections reaching 10%. “The plan was to ride for Baptiste and therefore take responsibility for controlling the race,” explained Tanguy Turgis. “Reef did a great job bringing back the breakaway, then we moved the whole team to the front with two kilometres to go because there was a very narrow section. The goal was then to launch Baptiste. There was a very tight corner with 175 metres to go, and the idea was to enter it in first position. We started pushing at around 450 metres, and Baptiste came through the corner in the lead as planned. With 50 metres left, he was still first, but the final metres were steeper than we expected. We didn’t have accurate information about the gradient, and unfortunately he faded after such a very long sprint effort.” At the finish, the young man secured sixth place on the day, four seconds behind the winner, while all of his teammates except Reef Roberts finished in the main peloton, nine seconds down. “Baptiste was still happy that the team trusted him and with the work everyone did,” added Tanguy. “I was also very pleased with the team’s attitude and the lead-out at the bottom of the climb. They really raced as a team. We were simply disappointed because, considering his form that day, we could have aimed for better.”
“They haven’t been rewarded yet” – Tanguy Turgis
Tanguy Turgis’ riders were therefore hoping for more this Thursday during stage two, a short 120-kilometre route between Cap Découverte and the Albi Motor Racing Circuit. “The goal was for Soan to get into the breakaway, or for us to control the composition of the break,” Tanguy explained. “Soan managed to get up the road, which was very good, especially since Astana had also placed a rider in the break so they wouldn’t have to take responsibility for the chase.” Alongside four other riders, Soan Ruesche built an advantage of up to three minutes over the peloton, though the gap dropped to fifty seconds with 25 kilometres remaining. “Soan then attacked and rode solo for nearly twenty kilometres,” Tanguy continued. “In the peloton, the race exploded in a slight uphill section. Johan seized the opportunity, and a group of five bridged across to Soan. Our initial plan was to sprint with Eliott, but we adapted to the situation. Unfortunately, at the entrance to the circuit, with 1.5 kilometres to go, there was a tight corner, and two riders created a split. The Lotto-Groupe Wanty rider saw it and accelerated hard. Our guys tried to react, but it was just a bit too late.” Caught out by the race situation, the “La Conti” duo was therefore unable to contest the victory in the final straight. Johan Blanc eventually won the sprint for second place, while Soan Ruesche finished sixth.
“There were huge regrets at the finish because Johan truly felt capable of winning,” Tanguy went on. “Proof of that is that he actually won the sprint from the group. And we’re even more frustrated when we see Eliott winning the bunch sprint for eighth place. We lost because of a race situation beyond our control and a slight lack of communication. It’s a shame. I would rather we finish 1st, 15th, and 20th than 2nd, 6th, and 8th. And the riders feel the same way! They were very disappointed after the line. The team really has a strong momentum. We feel we deserve better and that we’re capable of achieving better results. They haven’t yet been rewarded in proportion to the races they’ve been producing.” However, three stages still remain to turn things around, beginning tomorrow with the summit finish atop the Col de Pailhères. “We managed the first two days very well around Rémi,” concluded Tanguy. “He’s one of the best climbers at the start, so we’ll race accordingly.”
