The 4 Jours de Dunkerque had got off to a strong start for the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team on Wednesday in Laon. In an uphill finish, Thibaud Gruel opened the week with a solid fourth place. On Thursday, the sprinters were beaten by the breakaway, but on Friday, the riders of the French squad suffered a setback in Wallers-Arenberg. Caught out by a race move with 50 kilometres to go, Thibaud Gruel and Bastien Tronchon finished in a chasing group 23 seconds behind stage winner Rasmus Tiller. Thibaud Gruel now sits thirteenth overall ahead of Saturday’s queen stage to Cassel.
For the opening stage of the 2026 edition, the 4 Jours de Dunkerque returned on Wednesday to Laon, where Romain Grégoire had claimed victory during his first professional season. This year, the riders had to tackle the final climb (2 km at 4%) three times in the last twenty-five kilometres. A slightly reduced peloton reached the final ascent, and Groupama-FDJ United got organized around Thibaud Gruel, who had finished sixth in the Classique Dunkerque the previous day. “We did what we had to do,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “Clément positioned him perfectly before the climb, then Bastien moved him back up and set a strong pace. It was perfect. Maybe Thibaud got boxed in slightly in one corner, but we have no regrets.” After a tough sprint, the young man eventually secured fourth place on a stage won by Laurence Pithie. “It’s a shame not to have taken any bonus seconds, but we didn’t make any mistakes,” Benoît added. “It was a strong fourth place, and Thibaud delivered as we had hoped. On top of that, Bastien and Valentin were also in the mix.” On Thursday, a bunch sprint was expected in Liévin, but four breakaway riders surprisingly managed to hold off the peloton. “Obviously, we would have liked to sprint with Matteo, but he wasn’t the big favorite either, so it wasn’t entirely our responsibility,” Benoît said. “The breakaway pulled off a great ride and we came through the day without any issues.”
“Pick ourselves back up and go back into the fight” – Benoît Vaugrenard
Issues, however, were expected on Friday towards Wallers-Arenberg, with the Hélesmes-to-Wallers cobbled sector, almost three kilometres long, which had to be tackled eight times. An early breakaway animated the first part of the stage, but it was reeled in shortly after the halfway point, paving the way for a lively race. With less than sixty kilometres remaining, the peloton stretched out during the fifth passage over the sector, which also proved to be a turning point for Groupama-FDJ United. “Unfortunately, Thibaud punctured, Titouan gave him his bike, Clément waited for him, Valentin was slightly behind, and only Bastien was still near the front of the peloton,” Benoît explained. “Right after that, a group of seventeen riders went clear, and our mistake was not having anyone in it. From that point on, we were completely on the back foot. We had no choice but to chase, especially with Clément and Valentin, particularly as several strong teams were represented at the front with multiple riders.” Thanks to the help of other squads, the gap came down to twenty seconds on the penultimate lap, but when the final effort was needed, Thibaud Gruel just lacked a little extra. “On the cobbled sector, he was with Laurence Pithie, who countered him and bridged across alone,” Benoît added.
During the final lap, the peloton consistently hovered between 15 and 20 seconds behind the leaders but was never able to make contact. “We were hoping to come back, but there were simply too many strong teams and strong riders up front,” Benoît concluded. “It’s really disappointing. The puncture obviously changed a lot of things, but by missing that group of seventeen, we really shot ourselves in the foot.” At the finish, Rasmus Tiller claimed a solo victory, while Thibaud Gruel and Bastien Tronchon crossed the line in a reduced peloton 23 seconds behind the Norwegian rider. On the eve of the queen stage to Cassel, both men sit 35 seconds behind race leader Laurence Pithie and 19 seconds off third place. “There’s definitely a chance to move up in the overall standings tomorrow. Thibaud is going really well, but the race needs to be hard,” Benoît concluded. “The heat will once again be an important factor in Cassel, in a stage that could be tougher than usual. We’ll fight all the way to the finish. What happened today is truly a pity, but tomorrow we’ll have to roll up our sleeves, pick ourselves back up, and go back into the fight.”
