The third and final week of the Giro d’Italia has so far offered very few opportunities for breakaway riders. While the seventeenth stage did favor the attackers, the previous one was won by Jonas Vingegaard and the following stage was contested by the fast men. During the only favorable day for the escapees, Rémi Cavagna launched a solo raid off the front, but the hilly final towards Andalo eventually got the better of him. Only two mountain stages and a final stage in Rome now remain.
The day after the third rest day, the Giro peloton got back underway on Tuesday with a very short 113-kilometre stage on Swiss territory, featuring another summit finish in Carì (11.6 km at 8%). The question was whether the breakaway would get its chance as the race entered the final stretch of the Corsa Rosa, but the answer came very early. “We obviously target every stage, and for us it mostly comes down to the first part of the stage, when the breakaway forms,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “On Tuesday, we unfortunately quickly realized that Visma-Lease a Bike wanted to win the stage. The guys still tried, especially Josh on the first climbs, but we understood it wasn’t going to be our day.” After a stage controlled from start to finish by his teammates, Jonas Vingegaard further strengthened his grip on the general classification by taking the win. “Rémy [Rochas] wanted to go for the final climb because he was feeling good, and he managed to take twentieth place,” Frédéric added. On Wednesday, however, everything seemed open with a hilly stage featuring 3,200 metres of elevation gain, but no summit finish. Nevertheless, as expected, the battle to get into the breakaway was fierce.
“We have no regrets” – Frédéric Guesdon
“It was a stage that suited us, but like on many stages, there were 40 to 50 kilometres of flat roads before the first climb, so it was very difficult to break away,” said Frédéric. “We eventually managed to get Rémi [Cavagna] into a first breakaway, and that saved our day because when a big chasing group formed in the climbs, the pace was too high, and Brieuc, Josh, and Rémy couldn’t follow. You had to be able to make the jump at that moment, and that’s maybe what we’re currently lacking. Rémy Rochas was a little short, Josh is discovering Grand Tours, and Brieuc is only riding his second one. Fatigue is setting in, and we couldn’t make that decisive effort.” Left isolated in a front group of nearly thirty riders, Rémi Cavagna attacked alone with nearly 120 kilometres to go and spent close to sixty kilometres riding solo at the head of the race. “He went on a little solo raid, and if he could have been joined by three or four riders, it might have worked,” Frédéric explained. “We believed in it a little when the gap went up to 2’30” but considering the profile and the way the race unfolded in the finale, we have no regrets about Rémi’s performance. It would have been difficult for him even if he hadn’t tried his luck. The only small regret was not having one of our climbers in the front group.”
While Michael Valgren claimed victory, Rémy Rochas was the first rider from Groupama-FDJ United to cross the line, in 25th place. On Thursday, one final opportunity for the breakaway riders appeared before the mountains. Aside from the Muro Ca’ del Poggio (1.1 km at 11%) with ten kilometers remaining, there were no major difficulties on the route, and the battle in the early hills did not allow a large group to get away. “We had discussed the possibility of a sprint a few days ago, but after seeing the previous two stages and considering the fatigue in the peloton, we still expected a breakaway,” explained Frédéric. “Johan spent a long time at the front at the start, Josh and Brieuc also followed moves in the climbs, but at the top of the first climb we realized the peloton hadn’t really split apart. Then there was a long valley section, and everything came back together.” The peloton then controlled the race behind a quartet of escapees, who were caught before the final twenty kilometres. The day’s final climb reduced the peloton to around sixty riders, and Axel Huens unfortunately missed the split by very little. In the end, only Brieuc Rolland reached the finish line with the main group, where Paul Magnier won the sprint. Two major mountain stages and a final stage for the sprinters are still on the menu in this Giro. “The briefing stays open every day,” Frédéric assured. “We know the next two stages will be difficult, but we keep short-term goals focused on each day, and we’re also thinking about Rome with Paul.”
