The Groupama-FDJ United cycling team did everything it could on Sunday to try to avoid the expected — and eagerly wanted by many — bunch sprint at Paris–Chauny. Johan Jacobs and then Thibaud Gruel were particularly aggressive during the final hour of racing, but the young Frenchman saw his attempt come to an end just after the flamme rouge. In the sprint, Clément Russo secured a place in the top 10, finishing 10th.
With almost 2,000 metres of climbing to contend with, the 76th edition of Paris–Chauny was certainly not expected to be an easy ride for the sprinters in the north of France. Nevertheless, they were still the favourites on paper. “The race traditionally ends in a bunch sprint, but this year it had a few additional difficulties,” explained William Green. “It was 15 kilometres longer and the final climb was 12 kilometres from the finish, whereas last year it came much earlier. On paper, the situation was different and the outcome of the race was a little more uncertain. Unfortunately, we were still without Paul and we didn’t have a top-level sprinter. We know that Clément is consistent and capable of strong performances, but the field of sprinters was very strong. So we decided to have two options, with Thibaud on the final climb, and Clément for the sprint.” Keen to create an attacking race, Groupama-FDJ United initially let the favourite teams control the race behind a six-man breakaway before making their move with around 60 kilometres remaining.
“We rode a perfect race” – William Green
“When the gap started to come down, we wanted to attack and form a strong group,” William said. “Axel made a push on the penultimate climb, twelve riders got clear a little later, and we had two riders in the group. Unfortunately, a lot of teams really wanted a sprint. When you don’t have a top-level sprinter, as was the case for us, you have to take your chance and take risks.” Although that move did not succeed, Johan Jacobs kept the French team’s aggressive momentum going by going away alone in pursuit of the lone leader, Michiel Lambrecht. With 35 kilometres to go, he caught him, and the duo then worked together to maintain a lead of around 30 seconds over the peloton. “Johan’s attack actually worked in Thibaud’s favour,” William explained. “Before the final climb, the road was narrow and we knew the sprinters’ teams wanted to block the road to prevent any attacks. But Johan put pressure on the peloton, which was therefore quite stretched out because of the chase.” At the foot of the final climb, 700 metres long at an average gradient of 7.5%, the Swiss man still had around 20 seconds in hand over the bunch, but the pace behind intensified significantly.
“With Johan up the road, the plan was for Thibaud not to attack but to follow the moves,” William said. “Arnaud De Lie accelerated hard on the climb, Axel closed the gap for Thibaud, who eventually made it back to Johan at the top.” Now at the front of the race with Thomas Bonnet, the young French rider continued to push for a bit before waiting for his Swiss teammate on the descent to form a trio. The three riders worked together perfectly, but the peloton never eased off and allowed them only around 15 seconds over the final, very flat 10 kilometres. With six kilometres to go, the trio became a quartet, but the peloton remained highly organized and was closing in fast. Johan Jacobs sacrificed himself with three kilometres remaining, before Thibaud Gruel continued his attack just ahead of the pursuing bunch for a few moments. His attempt came to an end just after the flamme rouge. “In my opinion, we rode a perfect race,” said William. “When you see that Thibaud was caught with 900 metres to go, you can clearly say that we were racing to win. When you have a rider with Thibaud’s qualities, and an engine as powerful as Johan’s, it would be crazy not to try.”
“It’s still positive to come away with a top 10” – William Green
That was not enough on Sunday, however, and the sprinters therefore had the final say in Chauny after 204 kilometres. Pavel Bittner took the victory, while Clément Russo just managed to make it into the top 10, finishing in tenth place. “Clément may have struggled a little more than expected on the climb,” William said. “He dropped back a little, and since they had to chase behind Thibaud, the pace in the peloton was very high and I think he found it difficult to get into an ideal position before the finish. He also hasn’t yet returned to his optimal condition since the Tour. I think he was missing just a little something today, but it’s still positive to come away with a top 10 without a pure sprinter, given the level of competition.”
