One last chance was up for grabs for the sprinters this Thursday at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and after a thrilling final, a bunch sprint did indeed decide the winner in Mâcon. Paul Penhoët managed to join the fight with the support of Clément Russo, and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team sprinter ultimately snatched sixth place. Starting tomorrow in Combloux and up until Sunday, the climbers will be in the spotlight.
Although the climbs on the menu for the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné were nothing like those of the weekend, the sprinters still had to survive them to have any hope of winning in Mâcon after 183 kilometres this Thursday. That said, despite seventy very hilly kilometres after the halfway point, the day’s overall profile featured less elevation gain than the first three stages. The possibility of a bunch sprint was therefore high, especially since only three riders took the lead in the first kilometres. The team of the big favorite Jonathan Milan immediately made its intentions clear, and the trio’s lead barely crossed the two-minute mark. After sixty kilometres, Benjamin Thomas and Thibaud Guernalec joined the breakaway, other counterattacks occurred as the climbs began, but the peloton always remained in control. For Paul Penhoët, however, this was the start of the issues. “I first punctured before the first climb. I changed wheels, and this small effort already put me in a difficult situation”, he said. “We were getting onto small roads, I was in a bad position, I couldn’t get back up, so I rode the whole climb in the back. The second one came quickly, so it was the same thing. After that, I wasn’t feeling great, and I heard the disc touching the brake. I had to change bikes before the last climb, so I stopped, but I think that was the worst moment, and I stayed in the convoy for a long time. It was a bit of a nightmare.”
“It’s a bit frustrating”, Paul Penhoët
Not without trouble, the 23-year-old managed to get back to the back of the peloton as they approached the final climb, thirty kilometres from the finish, while the breakaway still had a minute lead, and the peloton was pushing up the pace. “I survived the climb the best I could,” Paul said. “In the end, I got over it. Jonathan Milan was distanced with us, but we came back very quickly. However, I told Clément I had nothing left for the sprint. I asked him if he wanted to do it, but he told me he was cooked as well, and that we would give it a go in a sneaky way.” The end of the stage towards Mâcon proved quite thrilling, but the peloton ultimately caught the day’s fugitives with two kilometres to go, and the bunch sprint set up. “It was another tough day. It was very hot, and the breakaway put up a good fight,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “We could have put someone in front, but with the headwind in the final, we knew it was going to be hard.” In the final three kilometres, Clément Russo and Paul Penhoët tried to make their way up into the peloton. “We maybe found ourselves a little far back after the last roundabout,” said Paul. “Clément made a good effort right after, but it put me a bit on the limit.” In a good position nonetheless entering the final straight, the young man left everything he still had on the road to snatch another top-10 position (6th).
“It’s a pity,” said Paul. “On a day without too many issues, with a good positioning, it would have been completely different, and I would have really enjoyed this sprint. It’s a bit frustrating, because for me, the Critérium du Dauphiné is over, even if I’m going to try to help my teammates this weekend.” After taking three top-10s this week (two officially, editor’s note), Paul Penhoët ended these first five days of racing with mixed feelings. “I would have liked to do better because there wasn’t a huge start list of sprinters, but it must also be said that it’s sometimes messier when it’s more open,” he said. “The positive point is that the legs are good at WorldTour level, but I feel that there’s still a bit missing in the sprint.” “It’s very promising, because he’s come back from a long way,” concluded Benoît. “From now on, three big stages are looming, and we’ll be focusing on Guillaume.” On Friday, a first summit finish will take place in Combloux (2.7 km at 7.7%) following the Côte de Domancy (2.5 km at 9.3%).
