The Vuelta’s first two mountain stages have delivered their conclusion over the past few days, and Clément Berthet has shown that he is right up to the pace. Sixteenth in Andorra despite a puncture, the French climber produced a very solid ninth-place finish in Castelló on Thursday and now sits 13th overall. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet is 16th, while Bastien Tronchon narrowly missed out on the top 10 (12th) on Wednesday in a reduced bunch sprint.
The day after the first summit showdown at Font-Romeu was called off due to a heavy hailstorm, the general classification contenders had perfect terrain and ideal weather on Tuesday to battle it out in the Principality of Andorra. More than 3,000 metres of elevation gain had to be tackled over a short, explosive 105-kilometre stage, and the fight began on the long Port d’Envalira, where the peloton was considerably thinned out. Clément Berthet and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet managed to stay with the right group, but on the Colla de Beixalis, 50 kilometres from the finish, Tadej Pogačar launched a solo attack. “We knew what was going to happen beforehand and it was fairly straightforward,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “Guillaume and Clément fought hard, but Clément was unlucky because he punctured on the penultimate climb, the Coll d’Ordino. Without that, he would probably have finished around 12th. It’s a shame to have lost time in that way, but that’s racing. That’s the only downside to this Andorra stage, because otherwise he showed that he was in good shape.” After less than three hours of racing, Clément Berthet crossed the finish line in 16th place, 6’29” behind the winner and Slovenian red-jersey wearer, and moved up to 16th overall.
“Bastien was lacking a little confidence” – Benoît Vaugrenard
On Wednesday, the general classification was not expected to change during a stage suited to puncheurs and sprinters, although riders also had to be wary of a key section midway through the race. “There was a big ten-kilometre stretch with a three-quarter tailwind, and everyone was worried about it,” Benoît recalled. “The breakaway was brought back and it was extremely nervous, just as we expected.” The peloton nevertheless didn’t split apart and approached the final series of climbs, between 60 and 30 kilometres from the finish, almost as a complete group. “We knew the bunch would be reduced on the final climb, but Bastien was very well positioned and we were counting on him for the sprint,” Benoît added. Despite several attacks in the final, a peloton of around 100 riders did indeed contest what was almost a mass sprint, with Bastien Tronchon taking 12th place on the day. “He was well positioned with 1.7 kilometres to go, just as we had planned, but he lost some positions before the final corner, with 300 metres to go,” Benoît said. “It’s a shame because I think he had the legs for a top-10 finish. It was a sprint that depended heavily on positioning, and he was lacking a little confidence to move further up the line. He’s riding very well, but it’s been a while since he has fought for the top places because of his injuries.”
After leaving Catalonia behind, the peloton entered the Valencian Community on Thursday for a very hilly sixth stage, with the final featuring the climb to Puerto El Bartolo (9.5 km at 7%), including a very steep gravel section. “We knew there was a chance the breakaway could go today, but we also knew that UAE had the cards in its hands,” Benoît explained. “In the end, the race never really eased up. The breakaway went after 75 kilometres, but UAE immediately started riding, and that didn’t bother us too much since we had nobody up the road.” Although very active during the first two hours of racing, Groupama-FDJ United missed the right breakaway, which nevertheless failed to build a sufficiently large advantage before the final climb. “It was a very difficult day and everyone was already pretty tired when they reached the foot of the last climb,” Clément Berthet said. Nevertheless, he delivered an impressive performance. While he logically could not stay with Tadej Pogačar and his main rivals, he produced an excellent climb to reach the summit alongside Mattias Skjelmose, Oscar Onley and Sepp Kuss. “I’m quite happy with the way I managed my effort,” he said. “I stayed in the wheels on the more rolling section and managed the gravel section as well as I could. I found myself in a small group and we managed to work well together all the way to the finish.”
“Clément was truly outstanding” – Benoît Vaugrenard
After a technical descent and ten kilometres of flat roads, Clément Berthet secured his first top-10 finish of this Vuelta, taking ninth place, 1’38” behind the red jersey. “I managed to produce a decent sprint and I’m quite happy with my day,” he said. “It bodes well for what’s to come.” “Clément was truly outstanding,” Benoît praised. “Finishing ninth on a hard stage like this is not only a very good result, it’s also encouraging for him and for the team. It suggests good things for the rest of the race, but we’ll continue to take things one step at a time.” On Thursday evening, Clément Berthet sits 13th overall, while Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet is 16th. Another summit finish awaits on Friday, with the stage ending at Aramón Valdelinares (10 km at 6%). “It could finally be a day for the breakaway,” Benoît concluded.
