After securing a stage victory on day two, Groupama-FDJ United had already achieved its primary objective at the Tour de Suisse. Nevertheless, following Romain Grégoire’s success, Ewen Costiou also went all-in on Friday during a fiercely contested stage. The Breton rider was less fortunate, but he and his teammates continued to put in valuable work on Saturday and Sunday during the time trial and the queen stage in the mountains, fine-tuning their form for the challenges ahead. A productive and rewarding week overall.
Still riding high after Romain Grégoire’s splendid victory on Thursday, Groupama-FDJ United aimed to maintain its momentum on Friday at the start of Stage 3 in Bad Ragaz. The route was once again hilly, although slightly more favourable to the sprinters. “The first sixty kilometres were tough. We knew there would be a big battle to get into the breakaway, and that’s exactly what happened,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “Lorenzo was very active at the start of the race, but after around fifty kilometres, it was Ewen who got away in a strong counterattack group.” Surprisingly, however, that chasing group, despite containing several major riders, never managed to catch the leading duo of Jhonatan Narváez and Xandro Meurisse. “They got within fifteen seconds, and we thought the two leaders would eventually ease up, but that never happened,” Benoît continued. “At first, the riders in the chase group weren’t too concerned, but as the kilometres passed, they kept losing more time. Once the gap reached two minutes, doubts started to creep in. Nobody wanted to work harder than the others, and the cooperation was no longer there. The two leaders put in an incredible ride, and Ewen’s group never made it back. The peloton organised itself with the sprinters’ teams, but it too was beaten by the leading duo.”
“Very encouraging for what comes next” – Benoît Vaugrenard
As a result, Narváez took the victory ahead of the sprinters, while Clément Russo finished 13th on the day. “We knew it was our last real opportunity to win a stage,” added Benoît. “But because we had already succeeded the day before, we were less disappointed than we would have been if everything had depended on this stage.” That final chance for a stage win was also due to the loss of Rémi Cavagna, who was forced to abandon the race during Stage 3 and therefore missed the individual time trial scheduled for the following day. Without the former French national champion, Groupama-FDJ United had no major ambitions for the 23-kilometre course around Aarburg. “The riders approached it professionally and used it as preparation for what lies ahead, but there was no specific target,” confirmed Benoît. That left one final challenge: Sunday’s demanding mountain stage around Villars-sur-Ollon. The route featured three ascents of the Col de la Croix (19 km at 7%), packed into just 150 kilometres of racing and nearly 4,500 metres of elevation gain. “We were realistic about our chances given the profile and the riders we had the start,” said Benoît. “We knew it would be difficult. Still, we set ourselves a small objective with Lorenzo. We felt a top-20 finish in the overall standings might be possible. He’s not a pure climber, but it was worth giving it a try.”
Dropped on the penultimate ascent, Lorenzo Germani eventually finished 25th overall, just ahead of Romain Grégoire in 26th and Ewen Costiou in 27th. “The goal was also to build form for the races ahead, and the riders fought hard,” Benoît concluded. “In any case, we achieved our goal for the week. It was a rather unusual Tour de Suisse, with a shortened format, short and very explosive stages. The first three days suited Romain well, and our goal was to win one of them. We knew it wouldn’t be easy with Tadej Pogačar in the race, but on day two we managed to put UAE under pressure and come away with the victory. Of course, I’ll remember Romain’s response and the way he once again found the strength to win. But I’ll also remember the collective performance, because we were present throughout the race, and it was a pleasure to watch this group ride together. It’s very encouraging for what comes next, especially with the French National Championships and the Tour de France on the horizon.”
