Around Bessèges, this Friday, the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team really tried to make the most of the most demanding terrain of the week. However, the climbs featured on stage three of the Étoile de Bessèges–Tour du Gard were not enough to prevent a sprint finish. Aggressive right until the final moments, Ewen Costiou and Maxime Decomble therefore finished in a small bunch, within which young Victor Loulergue delivered another strong performance, taking fourth place.
On paper, it was the toughest stage of the week — in other words, the queen stage. With 2,000 metres of elevation gain on the menu, including a double ascent of the Col de Trélis (3.5 km at 5.5%) and three climbs of the Col des Brousses (2 km at 5%), the route around Bessèges had the potential to create significant gaps in the general classification. On the road, the action really kicked off with about fifty kilometres to go, while a breakaway of ten riders — including Groupama-FDJ United’s Blake Agnoletto — was still out front. The gaps then began to shrink on the penultimate loop around Bessèges, and Benoît Vaugrenard’s riders took control of the race before the final ascent of the Col de Trélis, less than thirty kilometres from the finish. “The goal was to make the race hard, especially on the penultimate climb, which is exactly when the guys started pushing,” explained Benoît. “The idea was to test some of the GC contenders, or even drop them.” “We were all in the mix,” added Victor Loulergue. “On the last long climb, we really tried to push the pace for Ewen and Maxime.”
“It’s very promising” — Ewen Costiou
The Breton rider briefly took advantage of the situation by going clear with a handful of riders, before being joined at the summit of the Col de Trélis by several others, including Maxime Decomble and Victor Loulergue. After the descent, the leading group got bigger, although it was shaken once more on the final climb of the day, the Col des Brousses. At the top, Ewen Costiou even tried to go solo, but his move was soon brought back. A group of about twenty riders, then forty, regrouped and headed towards Bessèges in the final five kilometres. “We tried again to get away on the kicker three kilometres from the finish, but it came back once more,” said Maxime Decomble, who was off the front with Ewen Costiou and others until the flamme rouge. The stage was therefore decided in a sprint, won by Henri Uhlig, while Victor Loulergue produced a superb effort to take fourth place. “When we saw we were going to be sprinting in a group of 30–40 riders, I told the guys I was going to do my sprint,” said the rider from La Conti. “I’m happy with fourth place — it’s a good day for the team, even if it’s frustrating that everything came back together after the climbs.”
That frustration was shared within the Groupama-FDJ United team on Friday. “We didn’t expect to have so many riders in the sprint,” said Benoît. “The race was hard, but not hard enough. We’re a bit disappointed because it was a stage in which we wanted to put some rivals under pressure, but we couldn’t have done more. That said, we were right there and it’s promising. We saw a strong team performance, and hats off to Victor, who rode a great race and still had the legs to sprint to fourth. It bodes well!” In the general classification, Ewen Costiou and Maxime Decomble now sit forty seconds behind new leader Lukas Kubis. “We gave everything with the team, who did a great job,” said Ewen. “We can only regret that the course wasn’t hard enough. But we showed today that we’re very strong, and there’s a lot of positive to take away. We didn’t gain time overall, but it’s promising for what’s to come. I’m usually not at my best early in the season, but I’ve got good legs, and the team trusts me. Now the GC will likely be decided in the time trial, and on that course, the strongest will win.” Before the final showdown in Alès, a stage more suited to the sprinters will take place on Saturday towards Vauvert.
