The 2026 Tour de France is now heading towards Paris. Before contesting the final stage in the French capital, however, the peloton first had to endure three gruelling days in the Alps. Throughout this mountain crossing, the Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team made sure to feature in every breakaway, thanks in particular to Romain Grégoire, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Quentin Pacher and Clément Braz Afonso. The latter also claimed an impressive fifteenth place on Friday atop the legendary Alpe d’Huez.
The opening Alpine stage on Thursday appeared to be the least demanding of the three. Even so, it still featured 4,000 metres of elevation gain en route to Orcières-Merlette (7 km at 6.5%), where the breakaway looked to have every chance of succeeding. Every team therefore launched an all-out battle from the very start, particularly on the Côte d’Engins. Seven riders managed to break clear after forty kilometres before French national champion Romain Grégoire produced a masterful descent to bridge across. “I relied more on my bike-handling skills than my legs because I couldn’t make the move on the climb,” admitted the young man. “I was surprised to find myself at the front on a stage like this, and then I had to live up to it.” Six more riders later joined the leaders while a huge chasing group formed after around 80 kilometres. “Fortunately, Romain managed to bridge across because we absolutely wanted to be represented at the front,” explained Yvon Caër. “Guillaume and Clément [Braz Afonso] made it into the chase group, but it never really worked together.” Although the second group briefly closed to within thirty seconds, it never made contact, leaving Romain Grégoire to fight alone at the front. “I battled all day just to stay with the break, but I really suffered,” he admitted.
“Clément delivered a truly outstanding performance” – Yvon Caër
Fifty kilometres from the finish, the French champion finally lost contact following a series of attacks in the breakaway. He and his teammates at the back were eventually caught by the yellow jersey group in the closing kilometres. “Romain experienced a few difficult moments, but he proved they weren’t insurmountable,” added Yvon. “He found some extra strength again, even though we knew it would be difficult because this wasn’t terrain that suited him perfectly.” On Friday, the peloton was set to head towards the famous ascent of Alpe d’Huez in a short but explosive 127-kilometre stage that also included the Col du Noyer and the Col d’Ornon. This time, the breakaway formed almost immediately on the Col Bayard, with Groupama-FDJ United placing three riders up the road: Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Quentin Pacher and Clément Braz Afonso. Within a leading group of around forty riders, the trio remained relatively quiet during the first half of the stage before the race intensified on the Col d’Ornon, 35 kilometres from the finish. “I really wanted to make the breakaway and I managed to do it, but I suffered all day because the pace was so incredibly high,” said Clément. “I was dropped on the penultimate climb, but I made it back on the descent.”
Approaching the day’s final ascent, he was the team’s last remaining rider in a breakaway reduced to around a dozen riders. “At the start, I joked that I wanted to be in the lead onto Alpe d’Huez,” he smiled. Remarkably, that is exactly what happened. “If someone had told me that this morning, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Holding a three-minute advantage over the favourites’ group, the young Frenchman also pushed himself in search of a nice result at the summit. “At the foot of the climb I was really struggling, but I gave absolutely everything because Alpe d’Huez deserves that kind of respect,” he said. “When I realised I wasn’t fading as much as I expected, I kept pushing to stay in contention. Then the crowds and my family alongside the road gave me an incredible boost.” His superb day ultimately ended with a 15th-place finish, far from insignificant. “He fought courageously and never gave up,” said Yvon. “When you look at the results, only the general classification contenders and the strongest riders from the break finished ahead of him. We believe Clément delivered a truly outstanding performance, especially in his very first Tour de France.”
“The determination to finish this Tour de France on a high” – Yvon Caër
Saturday’s final Alpine stage once again brought the riders to Alpe d’Huez, this time via the Col de Sarenne, after first tackling the Col de la Croix de Fer, the Col du Télégraphe and the Col du Galibier. In total, the riders faced 5,500 metres of elevation gain in the Tour’s final mountain stage. “Once again, we were targeting the breakaway because we believed it could stay away,” said Yvon. “Clément [Braz Afonso] managed to make the right move, but the pace on the Télégraphe was extremely high and he eventually had to let go. After yesterday’s efforts, in a day where he committed completely, he reached his limit. It was still his fourth consecutive breakaway. He showed tremendous qualities, especially in terms of recovery, to perform like that during the third week on such demanding terrain. It’s a huge source of satisfaction both for the team and for him. We knew this Alpine block would be more difficult for us, but every single day we saw total commitment. We have absolutely no regrets because we were only beaten physically. In terms of determination, motivation and commitment, there is nothing to complain about.”
Only one stage now remains: the traditional final in Paris, featuring the Butte Montmartre circuit before the finish on the Champs-Élysées. “The race will really begin the first time we tackle the climb to Montmartre, and we genuinely believe we can be competitive”, concluded Yvon. “Last year, Clément came very close to making the decisive chase group, and we also believe this kind of effort suits Romain well. We’ll try to play both cards and achieve the best possible result on the Champs-Élysées. It may well be the stage that suits us best during this final week, so we’ll approach it with determination and the ambition of finishing this Tour de France on a high.”
