The French champion was back in action this Sunday. At the Bretagne Classic, Romain Grégoire pinned on a race number for the first time since the Tour de France, and he made a very good impression. Right in the mix on the final climbs, the young man was able to stay with a group of around ten riders that broke clear on the final ascent of Ty Marrec. However, he was caught out by Alex Aranburu’s attack just over one kilometre from the finish and had to settle for a frustrating seventh place.
It was on a new course in Plouay that the 90th edition of the Bretagne Classic took place this Sunday. For the occasion, the organizers decided to bring back the Ty Marrec climb (1.3 km at 5.3%), the main feature of the finishing circuit, which also included the Lezot climb (1.2 km at 4.4%). A battle between sprinters and puncheurs, a familiar scenario in the region, was therefore once again expected. However, it was initially a breakaway of just three riders that led the way. Shortly after the halfway point, two chasers bridged across, before the real fight began within the peloton with 60 kilometres to go. “The plan was for Ewen, Clément and Quentin to follow the attacks from the Marta climb onwards, while Lorenzo and Kevin would protect the team and keep everyone well positioned throughout the race, before looking after Thibaud and Romain in the final,” explained Yvon Caër. “They executed it very well.” With around 50 kilometres remaining, Ewen Costiou and Clément Braz Afonso joined a chasing group, while Quentin Pacher made contact with another group just behind. Although the gap to the peloton grew, the chasers were never able to get within 30 seconds of the leading group. “There was some lack of cooperation in the chasing group,” Yvon pointed out. “Some teams had riders up the road while others didn’t have any protected riders in there. There were conflicting interests. It’s a shame, because that move could have gone a long way.”
“We were aiming for more” – Yvon Caër
The move nevertheless remained between the breakaway and the peloton for almost two laps before being swallowed up by the bunch with 23 kilometres to go. More attacks followed, and Romain Grégoire was quick to respond to the most dangerous ones, but the breakaway still had a one-minute advantage with one lap remaining as the peloton regrouped. Then, as soon as the riders tackled the final passage of the Lezot climb, the race exploded once again. Thibaud Gruel decided to cover the attacks, before his French champion teammate took over. Their efforts proved fruitless, however, as the race came back together once more before heading towards the final climb of the day: Ty Marrec, six kilometres from the finish. The breakaway tackled it with a 20-second advantage, but the puncheurs fired their last shots in the peloton. “Romain had a small positioning issue at the bottom,” Yvon revealed. “Lorenzo moved him up, set him up, and then Romain was able to follow the best riders without any problems on that effort.” Around a dozen riders, including the French champion, managed to split away over the top of the climb, and their advantage had grown to 20 seconds with three kilometres remaining. “We could have hoped for Thibaud to be there with Romain,” Yvon said. “I think he had the legs to do it, but he showed himself on the penultimate climb, and that effort proved costly for him on the final ascent of Ty Marrec. With Thibaud there, we would have had two cards to play.”
Isolated at the front, in a group that looked well placed to contest the victory, Romain Grégoire was caught out by an attack coming from behind with just under two kilometres to go. “Aranburu read the situation well. There was a moment of hesitation and watching each other, and that was it,” Yvon commented. “When you’re on your own, you have to gamble a bit. This race remains very tactical. When things fall our way, it’s great, and when they don’t, you have to deal with it.” Romain Grégoire eventually reached the finishing straight fighting for fourth place, but ultimately crossed the line in seventh. “We’re naturally disappointed with the final result,” Yvon admitted. “We were aiming for more, and I think rightly so, but we don’t have an enormous amount of regrets, apart from Thibaud’s costly effort. It’s easy to come up with the ideal scenarios once the race is over, but what I take away is the overall attitude. I saw a very strong, very united team that’s going strong. With eight kilometres to go, everyone was still there, ready to fight, including those who were returning to racing after the Tour. That remains very encouraging for the races to come.”
