The Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team is definitely not having much luck at this year’s Tour de Pologne. After frustrating sprints for Paul Penhoët, the French team was also unable to make an impact in the last three hilly stages. Involved in a massive crash on Thursday, Rudy Molard was forced to abandon, while Rémi Cavagna and Valentin Madouas gave it a go in breakaways on Friday and Saturday, without success. The French rouleur will now look to end the week on a positive note on Sunday in the final individual time trial.
After a first half of the race made for the fast men and dominated by Jonathan Milan, the Tour de Pologne moved onto more challenging terrain from Thursday on. The peloton headed towards Karpacz, where a tough final, expected to establish an initial hierarchy in the overall standings, awaited. However, a first selection unfortunately happened even before the final climbs, as a massive crash occurred in the bunch around 40 kilometres from the finish. Groupama-FDJ United was not spared, with Rémi Cavagna, Axel Huens and Rudy Molard directly involved. “It had rained, the road was wet, and there was a loss of grip on a left-hand bend,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. “Rudy had a large hematoma on his hip, and although he was able to finish the stage, he could not fight for his chances or start the next day. It’s a major disappointment because he was probably our best card for the general classification. We also lost Valentin as a contender for the GC because he wasn’t at his physical best. It was a real blow for us that day. Rémi tested himself with the general classification in mind, and the shortened route, with one climb removed, suited him, but the pace was simply too high for him.”
“Rémi has a real chance of winning” – Frédéric Guesdon
Following the first battle between the overall contenders, dominated by Bart Lemmen, Groupama-FDJ United was therefore out of contention for the general classification. The team still had a stage victory to target, which it tried to pursue the very next day towards Kocierz Resort, where a 1,500-metre climb averaging 11.5% was expected to be decisive. “We thought the breakaway might have a chance of making it to the finish, so we absolutely wanted to be in it,” Frédéric added. “Unfortunately, we missed it at the start, but when we saw that the peloton wasn’t really letting the breakaway go, we decided to try to get it going again, and it worked. Rémi managed to make it into the break, and it was a good one because it was a strong group.” The breakaway then engaged in a genuine tug-of-war with the peloton. Although the gap briefly reached two minutes, it was significantly reduced as the riders approached the final climb. “It’s a shame, because Rémi was only missing a little bit to reach the bottom of the climb at the front,” Frédéric said. “Initially, he wasn’t really designated to go in the breakaway, but he gave it a try, and we also know that he likes to put in some hard efforts two days before a time trial.”
Before Sunday’s scheduled time trial, there was still one final hilly round to tackle on Saturday around Bukowina, a resort now well known to the riders. This queen stage featured no fewer than six classified climbs, as well as numerous slopes above 10%. “Valentin managed to get into the breakaway quite quickly, but the peloton never allowed it much of a gap,” Frédéric explained. “As a result, he was caught on the penultimate ascent of the Bukowina wall, almost 40 kilometres from the finish. It’s a shame because he was riding pretty well, but the peloton had other ideas today. Still, it’s a positive for what’s to come. It will help him build confidence because it had been a long time since he had ridden a stage at the front. With the Vuelta coming up as his next objective, it can only do him good.” In the battle among the favourites, Louis Barré took the win, while Christian Scaroni took the leader’s jersey on the eve of the final time trial, which will determine the overall classification but is also very important for Groupama-FDJ United. “The goal is to finish at least on the podium, but I think Rémi has a real chance of winning,” Frédéric concluded. “Over twelve kilometres, though, he will have to be at his very best and avoid making any mistakes. Rémi has shown some very strong performances in his recent time trials. He managed his effort today to be at his best tomorrow, so we can be optimistic.”
