On the eve of the final – and decisive – stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, Clément Berthet remains firmly in contention for an overall top-10 finish. The Frenchman owes that position to a strong ride on Thursday, when he crossed the line ninth after tackling an HC climb. On Friday, Berthet held on to tenth place overall following a sprint finish, while Victor Loulergue had the opportunity to go for his own result and took a nice eighth place.
After the first showdown on Wednesday’s summit finish at Valle del Sol, the favourites were once again expected to take centre stage on Thursday at the Vuelta a Burgos. This time, however, they faced a far tougher challenge in the Puerto del Escudo (7 km at 9%), whose summit was located just four kilometres from the finish. “The goal was obviously to support Clément in the final, but first, we weren’t sure whether Netcompany Ineos would really control the race,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “We thought a strong breakaway might have a chance, and there was nothing to lose by trying. Bastien hadn’t raced for a while and needed some hard efforts, so he volunteered.” The 24-year-old rider from Chambéry made it into a six-man breakaway that was later joined by three more riders midway through the stage, although the peloton never allowed the escapees much of a gap. Around 50 kilometres from the finish, Bastien Tronchon was dropped from the break, but he was able to rejoin the peloton in the valley before the final climb and continue working for his leader. “The whole team committed and did a great job of positioning Clément at the foot of the climb,” Benoît added. “From there, it was all about doing the best possible climb on these demanding gradients.”
“Raise the bar even higher” – Benoît Vaugrenard
Riding near the front, the Groupama-FDJ climber matched the first accelerations and responded well when Giulio Ciccone attacked four kilometres from the summit. With the peloton reduced to around twenty riders, Berthet was still among the contenders, only losing contact when Felix Gall and Oscar Onley launched another acceleration just two kilometres from the top. “Clément fought really well and produced a very strong climb,” said Benoît. “He wasn’t that far to reach the summit with a small group in front of him. He found himself in a small chasing move behind the main favourites before a few riders bridged across in the final kilometre.” Forty-seven seconds behind stage winner Felix Gall, Clément Berthet contested the sprint for eighth place in the finishing straight and eventually secured ninth. “Had the finish been at the summit, he would probably have done even better,” Benoît said. “That said, he started the day twelfth overall, and the goal was to finish it in the top ten. He achieved it as he was 10th, so that was a good day. Now we want to raise the bar even higher for Saturday’s final stage. Clément is riding really well and I believe he can still move up a few places.”
One minute behind new Austrian race leader Felix Gall after Stage 3, Clément Berthet maintained the same position following Friday’s fourth stage, as the 178-kilometre route to Briviesca ended in a bunch sprint. “This morning, Bastien was originally our option, but it wasn’t definitive,” Benoît explained. “He felt he wasn’t quite back to 100% yet and still needed race intensity. The idea was to assess how he felt during the stage and in the final. In the end, he didn’t feel capable of contesting the sprint because his legs weren’t quite there. So we switched roles with Victor, and I was pleased to see how well the riders adapted. Bastien then sacrificed himself to position Victor.” Inside the final kilometre, Victor Loulergue found his way up to around fifteenth position before launching his sprint from more than 300 metres out. “He wasn’t afraid,” Benoît praised. “He went for it, and there’s absolutely no regret.” Still in podium contention with 100 metres to go, Victor Loulergue eventually crossed the line in eighth place. “He probably deserved a top-five finish, but the wave of riders coming from behind with Brennan meant he dropped back” Benoît concluded. “What I’ll remember most is the commitment he showed in the fight for position. That’s very encouraging for the future.”
After recording three stage top-ten finishes this week (along with an eleventh place), Groupama-FDJ United will now look to round off its Spanish campaign with two more strong results on Saturday’s decisive summit finish at Lagunas de Neila.
