The chances of overturning the overall standings were small on Sunday at the Boucles de la Mayenne, with the finishing circuit in Laval featuring no real difficulties. As expected, the sprinters came out on top at the end of the third and final stage, with Olav Kooij leading the way, leaving Thibaud Gruel unable to dislodge Benoît Cosnefroy from the top of the general classification. The 22-year-old nevertheless secured second place overall and claimed the best young rider’s white jersey, while Groupama-FDJ United won the teams classification.
From Cossé-le-Vivien to Laval, over 147 kilometres, Thibaud Gruel’s chances of taking back the seven seconds separating him from Cosnefroy appeared extremely limited. Although three intermediate sprints were on offer throughout the stage and ten bonus seconds were awarded to the stage winner, the task still looked almost impossible. “There was real pressure from the sprint teams early in the race to control the breakaway,” explained Yvon. “And Juan Sebastian Molano, UAE’s sprinter, would also have been capable of countering us at the first intermediate sprint. It was a losing fight. We would have needed to collect bonus seconds at all three intermediate sprints or hope for a surprise at the finish. We had one card to play, and we decided to gamble on the final sprint.” A breakaway quickly formed and collected the available bonus seconds at both the beginning and the end of the stage before being reeled in by the peloton during the last of the five laps around Laval. “We knew it would be difficult for Thibaud against pure sprinters, but we still gave ourselves every chance,” Yvon added. “We wanted to put him in the best possible position. That being said, we have to be realistic: the sprint teams got the best of us, and we weren’t able to position him well enough. We did the best we could.”
“Thibaud needs to make the most of his form” – Yvon Caër
Olav Kooij eventually won the bunch sprint, while the young rider from Tours crossed the line in 22nd place. “I’ve never seen the overall standings overturned on this final stage,” said Thibaud. “With a seven-second deficit, even winning two intermediate sprints wouldn’t have been enough. I tried to get involved in the final sprint, but I couldn’t find an opening. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to turn things around.” He was nevertheless able to confirm his solid second place overall and secure the white jersey as the race’s best young rider. “The level was higher than last year, and I finished one place higher, so that’s a positive,” he said. “If I come back next year, I’ll try to gain another spot.” “Second overall is a great result, and we also won the teams classification, which is significant,” continued Yvon. “Thibaud is becoming a very reliable leader. We shouldn’t forget that he already took on that role in Dunkirk last week and handled it well. The difference here is that he had support in the final of the queen stage, whereas he was isolated in Dunkirk. That’s the real lesson: when he has teammates around him, he can make the effort needed to fight for victory. Four days after Dunkirk, where he gave a lot, he was still ready at 100% here, and that’s very encouraging. He needs to make the most of his form, and his confidence continues to grow. He’s motivated and brings people together. His legitimacy as a leader is also evident among his teammates, which is extremely important in a rider’s development.”
Next up for Thibaud Gruel: the Brussels Classic next Sunday.
