After almost three weeks of racing and an almost flawless performance on his part, Clément Berthet put everything back on the line on Friday and Saturday during the final two mountain stages of the 2026 Vuelta a España. On Stage 19 to Peñas Blancas, while his teammates Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet (7th) and Rudy Molard (11th) made the most of their breakaway, he first consolidated his position among the overall favourites, in seventh place. There was still the queen stage on Saturday, however, which could have turned everything upside down. Although he was dropped by the “big guns” with almost 100 kilometres still to go, the rider from the Jura region fought all the way to the finish, with the support of his teammates, ultimately securing his place in the overall top 10, in eighth position. He will now have to make it through Sunday’s final in Granada to confirm this major result.
Twenty-four hours before the very substantial main course that was Stage 20 of the Vuelta, a particularly spicy appetizer was on the menu on Friday for the riders fighting for the general classification. Now engaged in a fiercely contested battle, the favourites were set to fight at the summit of Peñas Blancas (19 km at 6.5%) after an undulating stage with no major difficulties beforehand. That was also why many riders had identified this day as a genuine opportunity for the breakaway. Groupama-FDJ United itself was extremely active during the first 110 kilometres. That was how long it took before a group finally managed to get away. “There was a huge battle,” Benoît Vaugrenard explained. “The aim was to get riders up the road because we didn’t know what might happen, and we saw a very aggressive team. At one point, we were even worried that we had too many guys up front (laughs)! Once again, we had an impact on this stage, just as we have throughout the rest of the Vuelta, and that’s always satisfying.” In the end, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Rudy Molard and a fired-up Bastien Tronchon managed to make it into the 16-man breakaway that the peloton eventually allowed to go clear. “Guillaume was the best placed of the riders up front, with teammates, and we still had Clément behind,” Benoît explained. “It was a really great situation.”
“Clément has surprised himself day after day” – Benoît Vaugrenard
Up front, cooperation proved to be very good, helped by Groupama-FDJ United taking responsibility, and the group was able to reach the foot of the final climb with a seven-minute advantage over the peloton. Rudy Molard then fired the first two shots before the breakaway exploded with 13 kilometres remaining to the summit. “Rudy knew it was going to be complicated, so he attacked to anticipate, force the other teams to ride and also to enjoy himself,” Benoît said. “It was a pretty good move.” Although the Frenchman and his teammates were subsequently unable to get involved in the fight for the stage win, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet nevertheless secured a solid seventh place, while Rudy Molard took 11th. “Guillaume made up a lot of time, and behind him, Clément did a very good job of holding his position,” the team’s directeur sportif continued. More than simply holding his position, the team’s leader had even risen to the level of the leading favourites of the Vuelta. “He has surprised himself day after day since the start of this Vuelta, particularly during this final week,” Benoît said. “He was with the best riders and was able to follow attacks from the leaders such as Gall. He only conceded ten seconds at the finish. He was really impressive.” Seventh among the favourites at the summit, he consolidated that same position in the overall standings ahead of the queen stage scheduled for Saturday.
Benoît Vaugrenard described this crucial day in simple and unequivocal terms: “On paper, this stage was really, really frightening, with 5,000 metres of elevation gain, including almost 4,000 in the final 100 kilometres. It was pretty terrifying.” What is more, before tackling the double ascent of the Puerto de El Purche (8 km at 8%), the climb of the Puerto de El Duque (7.5 km at 8.5%) and the summit finish at the Collado del Alguacil (8.5 km at 10%), there was an hour-long battle to establish the breakaway. Fourteen riders went up the road, and a counter-attacking group of around 40 riders formed, including Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, Valentin Madouas and Rémy Rochas for Groupama-FDJ United. The peloton significantly eased off, only to put the hammer down again on the first passage over the Puerto de El Purche. Sepp Kuss launched the big battle more than 95 kilometres from the finish, and Richard Carapaz caused further disruption a few moments later. “We were already worried about this stage, but on top of that, it kicked off very early,” Benoît continued. “We realised we were in for a crazy day.” The red-jersey group was immediately reduced to a small group of around ten riders, while Clément Berthet was still firmly holding his position with one kilometre remaining to the summit.
“I’m proud of myself” – Clément Berthet
The final slopes, however, proved too much. “He was not far off making the jump into the group of the big guns,” Benoît said. “He was very close, but Carapaz joined some teammates who started pulling. Clément still found himself in a good group with Onley, Omrzel and the two Astana riders, and that wasn’t such a bad thing. He was able to pace his effort.” “From the very first climb, it was completely full gas, and I actually blew up a little,” Clément explained. “It took me a bit of time to recover, but I never thought I had lost everything, because I knew that the only riders ahead of me were better placed in the overall standings, apart from Kuss. I couldn’t follow the attack, but I saw that nobody was passing me either. I realised that we were all completely on the limit.” With 90 kilometres still to cover and three major climbs remaining, a new race began for the 29-year-old from the Jura region. “We were in a different race, the race for the top 10,” Benoît said. “But when you see riders all over the place with 90 kilometres to go, you can’t let up. It was also the first time Clément had to defend a top-10 position in a Grand Tour. He had to be strong physically and mentally, and he was. Behind, Ineos kept riding well, which was favourable for us. We didn’t need to immediately call Rémy and Valentin back.” “I rejoined some of the guys from the team, and Val in particular did a great job before the final climb,” Clément added.
Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet approached the final climb with a small advantage over the red-jersey group, which nevertheless caught him halfway up. Two minutes behind, Clément Berthet’s group engaged in one final battle after having spent 85 kilometres riding together. “They only started attacking with three kilometres to go,” Benoît recounted. “Clément stayed with Omrzel for a long time, until Omrzel dropped him one kilometre from the summit. Then there was a huge battle with Rodriguez. He dropped him, then was caught, then passed him again… We knew it would come down to very small margins, and it was intense right to the end. Clément fought really, really well.” At the finish, he took 23rd place, on the wheel of Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet and just six seconds behind Cristian Rodriguez, allowing him to secure eighth place overall. “It was quite a day,” Clément said, catching his breath. “It had been a long time since I’d had a proper all-out mountain day like that, from start to finish. I might not have had my best legs today, but I’m proud of myself, I gave everything I had, and I have no regrets.” His teammate from Normandy, meanwhile, gained another place on Saturday by moving up to 11th overall. “He doesn’t have the legs he had in his best years anymore, but the way he fights every single day is remarkable,” Benoît praised. “Hats off to Guillaume, and respect to him. He’s an example for our young riders.”
All that remains now is a “spicy” dessert in Granada to allow the two Groupama-FDJ United climbers to confirm their overall positions, and for Clément to secure his first overall top-10 finish in a Grand Tour. “The circuit is demanding and technical tomorrow, and we’ll have to stay focused all the way to the finish,” Benoît concluded. “Firstly because the general classification is the priority, but we also have Bastien, who could have his chance for the stage.”
