Only the finishing touch was missing for the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team to be able to look at its performance at the Coppa Sabatini as a masterpiece. On Thursday, Romain Grégoire and his teammates delivered an almost flawless performance around Peccioli, on a punchy course and in very rainy conditions. Still very united over the final laps of the course, the French champion’s teammates were able to set up an uphill sprint for their leader. He ultimately had to settle for third, beaten in a hard-fought finish by Benoît Cosnefroy and Clément Venturini.
The day after the Giro della Toscana, and for the third round of its Italian campaign, Groupama-FDJ United lined up a reshuffled squad for Thursday’s Coppa Sabatini. Only Brieuc Rolland and Maxime Decomble remained from one day to the next, alongside Romain Grégoire, Kevin Geniets, Lorenzo Germani, Victor Loulergue and Axel Huens. Unlike the previous day, there were not two major climbs to tackle, but many short ascents spread across the 200-kilometre course. More specifically, the peloton had to climb the “wall” of Peccioli six times (900 m at 10.5%), followed by the finishing climb (1.5 km at 5.7%) three times on the final circuit. “It was all about Romain,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “We had envisaged two scenarios: one in which the race would be quite calm and the decision would be made, as in previous years, on the final ascent of the wall; and another in which the weather would make the race much more nervous and things would be more complicated. It turned out to be the second option because, from the very first lap, there were splits everywhere, and the first part of the race was really animated.” “The rain didn’t bother us too much because we were expecting it this morning, and it wasn’t cold,” Romain said. “On the other hand, we had to be extremely careful because every corner was very slippery. Before every descent, there was a fight for position, but that’s not something I particularly dislike.”
“We had to stay united and ride as a team”– Frédéric Guesdon
As proof of that, when the peloton split after around thirty kilometres of racing, the French champion was right at the front with his teammates. “We were always there and always in the rhythm,” Frédéric said. “It’s a group that is quite comfortable in these conditions, and they also knew that we had a lot at stake with a motivated Romain on a course that suited him. The weather was not an excuse. We got stuck into the race from the start, and it paid off. We were never in difficulty or forced to chase after a split. The only downside at the beginning of the race was Victor’s crash on a technical descent. He managed to get back into the race, but he subsequently felt a bit in pain, and it was better to have him stop.” The peloton came back together after that chaotic opening, before settling at just under a minute behind two breakaway riders who led the race for a while. The laps passed by, and the decisive moment of the final climb of the Peccioli wall drew closer, while the rain finally began to ease. With thirty-seven kilometres remaining, a trio began the “wall” at the front, thirty seconds ahead of a peloton in which Groupama-FDJ United had positioned itself perfectly. However, the steep slopes leading towards Peccioli’s old town failed to create the expected damage.
“We had decided not to make any move until the final time up the wall, just in case, so we just followed,” Frédéric continued. “We knew, however, that the climb wasn’t going to make that much of a difference. There weren’t many riders in the field capable of creating a significant gap, like Del Toro did last year. If you couldn’t make the difference there, there was no point in pushing too hard because the circuit afterwards was fairly fast. The gap could be closed quickly from behind, so we had to stay united, ride as a team and remain together in case we needed to bring back the breakaway. That’s exactly what happened.” As the three laps of the final circuit began, with the finishing climb as the only real difficulty, Groupama-FDJ United, still represented by five riders, set about the chase behind a two-man breakaway, which was soon joined by Giulio Pellizzari. Brieuc Rolland, Lorenzo Germani and Kevin Geniets took turns driving the pace to close the gap, and the Italian had only twenty seconds in hand before the final lap, after dropping his breakaway companions. On the last lap, the chase intensified once again. Lorenzo Germani put in another big effort before Axel Huens made the final push at the foot of the finishing climb.
“I missed my chance, so I’m very disappointed” – Romain Grégoire
Under the flamme rouge, Pellizzari was almost caught, but a moment of hesitation allowed him to regain a few metres and enter the final 300 metres with a small advantage over the charging group behind him. The final sprint started from a long way out, and Romain Grégoire immediately moved into the leading positions. “It was a finish for the strong riders, and it clearly came down to the legs,” Frédéric said. In those circumstances, the French champion had to settle for third place after being beaten by a more powerful Benoît Cosnefroy, while Clément Venturini came past him very close to the line.“We rode a great team race, the guys really did the work they needed to do, and we had strength in numbers in the final,” Romain praised. “We did everything right, but I missed my chance, so I’m very disappointed. I don’t have any regrets as such because I was beaten physically, but I know that with very good legs, I can win this race. It’s a shame because it was a great opportunity.” “Collectively, we delivered and gave 100% for our objective,” Frédéric concluded. “We were simply beaten by stronger riders in the sprint. Romain is disappointed because he’s a winner, but we can’t have any regrets. We’re not leaving empty-handed. A podium is already a good result, and we still have two opportunities on Saturday and Sunday.”