The Groupama-FDJ United cycling team, and Brieuc Rolland in particular, gave it everything this Sunday in an effort to leave Normandy with a strong result. However, despite a very active final hour of racing and having shown that he was one of the strongest riders in the field, the young Breton was unable to finish it off at La Polynormande. Initially in a breakaway with Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Brieuc Rolland remained in contention until just 400 metres from the finish, before being caught by a reduced peloton in which his teammate had to settle for 15th place.
More than two months after the previous round, the FDJ United Series returned to action this Sunday with La Polynormande. As usual held around Saint-Martin-de-Landelles, the race covered just under 170 kilometres with eleven laps of an explosive circuit featuring the Côte de la Pigeonnière and the traditional uphill false flat to the finish. Nearly 40 kilometres were needed before a proper breakaway managed to get clear, although the peloton had quickly begun to pull behind. “It was a difficult race to read, as it is every year,” explained Yvon Caër. “There were attacks followed by periods of calm because the big teams didn’t want to start the fight too early. Things really accelerated over the final three laps, and thanks to Guillaume and Brieuc, we were always in the right move.” Although attacks came thick and fast during the final hour of racing, it was only approaching the penultimate lap that an interesting group of around fifteen riders managed to break clear, including the two Groupama-FDJ United representatives mentioned above. A small gap opened up to a fragmented peloton, and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet even launched a counterattack behind a lone rider, just before the bell sounded to signal the final lap.
“We would have preferred a more demanding race” – Yvon Caër
With eight kilometres remaining, however, the French climber was caught by the chasing group on the Côte de la Vallée, which preceded the Côte de la Pigeonnière. Five riders surged away at high speed following an attack by Paul Lapeira, including Brieuc Rolland. The young Breton resisted this first offensive, then a second, but the break was not completely established as they headed into the final. “Brieuc was our best card, but the group he was in didn’t work together well enough, even though some teams had two riders up there,” Yvon regretted. Despite several attacks from the Groupama-FDJ United puncheur during the final three kilometres, the lack of cooperation at the front ultimately led to the group being caught with just 400 metres to go. “It’s frustrating,” Yvon admitted. “We would have preferred a slightly more physically demanding race, but we didn’t have the resources to force things because we only had two riders capable of fighting for the result, so we had to save those cards for the final. With no sprinter left for the finish after Lewis abandoned, our only chance was to be aggressive. It didn’t pay off.”
As a result of all his efforts, Brieuc Rolland was unable to launch a sprint within a group of around twenty riders. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (15th) and Maxime Decomble (21st) were therefore the team’s best finishers. “We came away empty-handed in terms of results, but we gave ourselves every opportunity to do well,” Yvon insisted. “Guillaume and Brieuc were impeccable and clearly showed that they are in good shape. To be aggressive on this type of circuit, you need to be in good condition. In my opinion, Brieuc was even among the five strongest riders in the race. That is the great satisfaction, especially because he was able to repeat his efforts. It’s very encouraging. He has the physical capacity that should allow him to express himself next week at the Tour du Limousin.”
