After three difficult opening days, Groupama-FDJ United’s “La Conti” unfortunately failed to turn things around at the Alpes Isère Tour. Down to just two riders over the final weekend, the team was unable to secure any significant results, despite a more encouraging performance from Victor Loulergue (22nd) in Sunday’s queen stage. The focus now shifts to the Giro Next Gen, which starts in two weeks’ time.
Before tackling the queen stage of the Alpes Isère Tour, a “transition” stage was on the menu on Saturday between Saint-Maurice-l’Exil and Saint-Clair-du-Rhône. Nevertheless, the rolling terrain offered plenty of opportunities for attackers, particularly those from Groupama-FDJ United’s “La Conti”, who were looking to bounce back after a difficult start to the race. “There were a huge number of attacks, but hardly any breakaways managed to get away,” explained Jérôme Gannat. “Esteban tried several times, unsuccessfully, and Victor also made an attempt later on, around fifty kilometres from the finish. That wasn’t really the plan, but he felt a bit better and wanted to make something happen. Unfortunately, nothing ever really stuck, and it was the final climb, seventeen kilometres from the finish, that made the decisive selection.” Around fifteen riders went clear, with no representative from “La Conti” among them. “Victor was well positioned, but he couldn’t follow,” added Jérôme. “I think he paid for the efforts he had made earlier in the race, which were probably unnecessary.” Victor Loulergue and Esteban Foucher eventually crossed the line in a second group, twelve seconds down, while Reef Roberts and Maximilian Cushway were forced to abandon, leaving “La Conti” with only two riders heading into the final stage.
“We’re not where we should be” – Jérôme Gannat
Sunday then brought the toughest challenge of the week: 150 kilometres, 4,000 metres of elevation gain, and a succession of climbs. “We weren’t particularly confident at the start,” said Jérôme. “That concern proved justified for Esteban, who was dropped quite early on. Victor, on the other hand, delivered a rather encouraging ride. He wasn’t among the ten riders who went clear on a climb fifty kilometres from the finish, but he was in the group behind, which consisted of around twenty riders. They lost quite a bit of time in the final because they didn’t work so much together, but it was probably his best performance of the week.” At the finish, the French puncheur claimed 22nd place, just ten seconds behind 11th. “That’s the positive takeaway, even though the week as a whole wasn’t good,” concluded Jérôme. “Victor isn’t a pure climber, and we knew today would be difficult for him, but we were on the back foot throughout the five days. We started with only five riders, we finished with only two, and we’re not where we should be. You can have one bad race a year, but it can’t become a habit. Victor was coming back into competition, and this race was part of his preparation for the Giro Next Gen, but we still expected more from this week.”
