The 2026 Route d’Occitanie came to a close on Saturday with a decisive third and final stage in the Pyrenees. On the way to Loudenvielle, Tom Donnenwirth spent the first part of the day out in front before the race was ultimately decided on the final climb. Brieuc Rolland was unable to stay with the two first groups and, thirty kilometres later, had to settle for 12th place on the stage and 13th overall.
Nearly 3,500 metres of elevation gain were on the menu for the final day of racing at the Route d’Occitanie, with a queen stage between Loures-Barousse and Loudenvielle featuring the Hourquette d’Ancizan (8.5 km at 5%) and the Col de Val Louron-Azet (10.7 km at 6.8%) in the second half of the route. The climbers therefore had a demanding challenge ahead of them, but the day first got underway with 70 relatively flat kilometres, allowing Tom Donnenwirth to make his way into an eight-man breakaway. “We decided to put Tom in the break to make sure we had at least one rider available to help Brieuc after the Hourquette d’Ancizan if the climb was ridden at a fast pace,” explained Philippe Mauduit. “That was the first mission of the day, and it was accomplished perfectly.” The final three survivors of the breakaway, including the Groupama-FDJ United rider, were eventually caught by the peloton near the summit, but Tom Donnenwirth managed to stay alongside Brieuc Rolland on the descent towards the Col de Val Louron-Azet. At the foot of the final climb, located forty kilometres from the finish, he even positioned his young teammate ahead of the decisive battle. “We wanted to put Brieuc in the best possible position because he doesn’t often get the opportunity to ride for himself,” continued Philippe. “Even though we know high mountains are not his favourite terrain, he still has strong climbing abilities.”
“A rather positive race overall” – Philippe Mauduit
As the pace increased on the first slopes of the climb, the 22-year-old Breton remained near the front and tried to hold on for as long as possible. “Just before the halfway point of the climb, he realised he wouldn’t be able to follow and needed to ease off slightly to limit the damage,” said Philippe. “It was the right decision because he didn’t completely crack. At the summit, he was not far behind the chasing group. The goal was to make contact with them, and although he didn’t quite manage it, he rode a very good race with the strengths he had. He then bridged across to a chasing group on the descent and eventually finished around forty seconds behind fourth place.” The Groupama-FDJ rider won the sprint of his group to take 12th place on the stage and secured 13th place in the final general classification. “He is still progressing, and it will be another valuable experience for him,” concluded Philippe. “With a stage victory on the opening day, a fourth place on yesterday’s stage, and 13th overall, it has been a rather positive race overall for us at this Route d’Occitanie. The whole team will now move on to the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica, with the exception of Thibaud, who will be replaced by Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet.”
