Active during the final hour of racing at the Circuit Franco-Belge on Wednesday, the Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team ultimately fell just short of putting the finishing touch on the roads of Wallonia. After Johan Jacobs launched an attack in the final, Axel Huens and Cyril Barthe both tried their luck on the last climb but narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish, placing 13th and 16th respectively.
Three days after their first trip to Belgium for the Brussels Cycling Classic, the Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team was back this Wednesday to compete in the 85th edition of the Circuit Franco-Belge. The race was particularly demanding, featuring five laps of a 23-kilometre circuit that included the Côte de Trieu (1.2 km at 7.2%) as well as the Kluisberg (1.3 km at 5.3%), whose summit hosted the finish line. Just before the halfway point, the peloton entered the first lap around Mont-de-l’Enclus, the finishing town, while an early breakaway was still out in front. “Without Thibaud [Gruel], who was supposed to be with us but is only just recovering from illness, we had to adapt our plans a little,” explained Tanguy Turgis. “We didn’t want to be part of the breakaway because we knew it would be caught quite early. Unlike previous years, many teams were also aiming for a sprint finish. In that context, we were aware of our strengths. We knew we could achieve a good result, but not necessarily beat the top favourites. So, we had to think differently. In the first part of the race, Lewis did the work, then on the circuit, Titouan and Olivier were asked to position Cyril and Axel, who needed to save as much energy as possible.”
“The team had a good attitude” – Tanguy Turgis
With more than sixty kilometres remaining, the morning breakaway was already reeled in, and the first attacks began to emerge from the peloton. During the penultimate lap, however, the pace intensified significantly on the Côte de Trieu, and Johan Jacobs and Axel Huens took advantage of a transition section to make several accelerations. The peloton regrouped, but shortly before the final lap, the Swiss rider from Groupama-FDJ United attacked again and this time managed to break away with two other riders. “We knew there would be race movements, and Johan had a card to play,” Tanguy explained. “However, we had hoped for a larger group of six or seven riders. Once again, though, many teams preferred a sprint finish rather than an aggressive race.” The Swissman still pushed for some time and was only caught at the summit of the Col du Hortilin (1.3 km at 4.5%). Immediately afterwards, Axel Huens followed another attack and reacted once again after the final ascent of the Côte de Trieu, with twelve kilometres remaining. “He had been involved in a minor crash earlier, and perhaps he didn’t feel 100% for the sprint,” Tanguy continued. “Initially, he was supposed to manage his efforts. Circumstances led him to use those two extra bullets.”
Eventually, a peloton of around sixty riders regrouped and headed towards the final climb. “Olivier positioned Axel and Cyril as well as possible for the uphill finish,” added Tanguy. “After that, there was no hiding: it was two minutes flat out, and it came down to legs.” At the end of that all-out effort, Axel Huens crossed the line in 13th place, just ahead of Cyril Barthe in 16th. “It may have been possible to optimize our strengths or positioning a little better, but overall, the team had a good attitude,” said Tanguy. “Had we optimized everything perfectly, we might have been able to sneak into the top 10, but a top-five finish was out of reach. We could only have realistically hoped for that with Thibaud’s presence. His freshness would undoubtedly have been beneficial, as we relied mainly on three riders coming straight from the Giro. They had the strength, but perhaps a bit of fatigue as well. At the very least, it gave some riders the opportunity to show themselves and play their own card. They don’t get that chance very often, but they are ready to take on that role whenever it is offered to them.”