Clément Braz Afonso entered a whole new world last winter: the WorldTour. By joining the Groupama-FDJ cycling team, the 25-year-old puncher reached the elite of cycling and has been enjoying it for several months. He agreed to tell us about his experience throughout the year through a Road Diary. This is the fifth episode: his first Grand Tour.
The last episode ended as I was about to leave for La Vuelta. The first thing that struck me, on site, was the team presentation, two days before the race. There were many more people than at the other presentations I’d done. It was wonderful to see the crowd cheering, especially when riders like David or Stefan were announced. It was amazing to experience that. That same day, the organization’s media shoot was taking place. We took some classic celebration photos, then we stood on a small platform around which a camera was rotating. We were told to put our hands in the air, but I didn’t want to do something ordinary. I had thought about a special celebration, and since there was very little chance that I would win a stage, I thought I should do it. I wanted to mime “Passe-Partout” in “Fort Boyard”, a French TV game, when he shows the number of keys. So I started running on the spot, head down, then got up and showed one finger for victory. I think it could have been funny if it had been published. I would have forced them to do it if I won.
“It took me a while to realize, because I must admit I wasn’t expecting it”
As for the race, we started the first stage with the goal of positioning Thibaud. I remember riding with ten kilometres to go against some big guys, and I was struggling, I pretty much had to take shelter in the wheels. I tried to do my best, but I wasn’t the best rider to do that. On the second stage, we were supporting Rudy and David. We knew it was going to rain because we saw a black sky ahead of us for a long time. On the first downhill in the rain, I saw a guy make a small move in front of Guillaume, it destabilized him, and he went straight into the ditch. I saw him crash, but honestly, I didn’t think he was going to withdraw. We then learned that he wasn’t going to continue, it was a bit of a shock, but I was only really sure of it on the finish line because I couldn’t hear very well on the radio with the rain. I was really focused because it was getting very dangerous, very slippery. I remember coming at a roundabout, feeling like we weren’t taking any risks, and seeing the guys dropping like bowling pins. I remember telling Stefan that it was getting really scary. Then we came on the final climb, where it stopped raining.
We took the lead quite early, and since I was behind Rémi and Thibaud, the commentators thought we were playing my card, but not at all! Rudy wasn’t far behind, but David was in the back, paralyzed by the rain. At the foot of the climb, he was ready to not push. But in the end, he found the strength, the motivation, and he went on to snatch the podium! It’s incredible that he managed to get back into it like he did. When we saw him at the back, we didn’t even think he was still a card for the day. Being in the back for twenty kilometres, he had to close every split, we thought it would be complicated if he wasn’t positioned, but in the end, he was right. There was time to move up, and he did it at the right time to make his effort and secure this podium. He impressed us. The next day, we knew he was in good shape, but we also had Thibaud who could do something good. The goal for David was mainly not to lose time. In the final, we tried to position as well as possible, everyone participated, I managed to find the opening to place Rudy, but David managed to come back on his own. He was just so strong that day. And then, he went on to conquer the stage with a legendary move on the last corner. We weren’t really expecting him on this stage, but he put in a crazy finish. And he beat another renowned sprinter!
I heard something on the radio, but I didn’t really find out until the finish line. It took me a while to realize because I must admit I wasn’t expecting it. It was incredible to see the joy it brought to the whole team, and to him in particular, because he’s struggled a lot this year. I immediately asked if he took the red jersey, because I knew it was going to be close. I was told no, based on the addition of positions, and I immediately understood that it was going to be the goal for the next few days. Indeed, the next day, the objective was to position David in the final, then it was up to him to see if he wanted to take risks to grab that red jersey, because we knew it was going to be a hectic sprint. The team did a great job again that day, and David was able to measure the risks, but I still remember him basically telling us “Never again” at the finish. He managed to gain enough places on Vingegaard to take the red jersey. From that point on, we knew it was already a successful Vuelta, and that the rest would be a bonus, even if we still wanted to do well. Some people never get to experience a leader’s jersey and a stage win in a Grand Tour, and I was lucky enough to experience it right from the beginning of my first Grand Tour. It was pretty incredible for me.
“I also wanted to experience a breakaway that went all the way.”
When David took the jersey, we were in Voiron, France, and had to take a flight that evening because the next day’s stage was near Barcelona. We arrived at the hotel around 10 p.m. The team had planned a masseur per rider, but not many guys had gotten massages because it was really late. That’s one of the hazards of Grand Tours. However, we had some time to sleep because the time trial was quite late the next day. We knew it would be difficult to keep the jersey, but we were determined to do well. We had done rehearsals before the Vuelta, and we knew the group was working well together. I wasn’t really afraid of the team’s big machines because the goal of a team time trial is precisely for them to not break me, but simply for them to take longer turns. The watchword was not to lose speed, even if you didn’t pull very long. It was still a stressful day. We did a final recon around noon, then there was all the setup and warm-up. A lot of staff are involved to put us in the best possible condition.
I would have liked to last a little longer, but that’s the law of time trial. You feel good at the start, you almost feel that it’s not going fast enough, then you start to be at the limit, and there comes a point where it’s hard to hold the wheels. When we took the last tailwind section, I had to sprint to catch the wheels and that meant the end for me. The coach saw it and said on the radio: last pull for Clément. I did a twenty-second turn, then I sat up. Team time trial is a discipline where you have to be quite humble and not be afraid to get up because you’re not strong enough for the team. We lost the jersey that day, but according to our time trial specialists, there wasn’t much more to do. The next day, for the summit finish in Andorra, the goal was again to position David as well as possible on the final climb. I stayed with him until 5-6 km to go, then he managed on his own. The goal in that first week was to target the stages where it was important to be with David as long as possible, so as to save energy, because I didn’t know how I would react in the third week.
That day, I remember seeing a friend of Tom Donnenwirth on the side of the road, and he did the famous Tom’s sign. I did it also because it made me laugh, and I thought it was really becoming some sort of a cult! On stage seven, I really wanted to join the breakaway, but I remember blowing up on the first climb. When the decision was made, I was completely exhausted and had a terrible stage. I also quickly realized that David wasn’t having a great day. I tried to be a mental and physical support for him at the bottom of the final climb, but after a kilometre of climbing, I saw him being distanced. He told me that he really didn’t have the legs and that I didn’t need to wait for him. Luckily, we had Brieuc in the breakaway, and I remember William [Green] encouraging him on the radio. He managed to get into the top 10 (8th), and he really fought for it because the peloton wasn’t far away. That obviously gave me ideas, and I also wanted to experience a breakaway that went all the way. The next day, it was Thibaud’s turn to make it into the top 10. It was cool to see him finally find the opening in the sprint.
“I really went viral on social media!”
On stage nine, the breakaway struggled to establish itself. I was definitely there, I really wanted to be in it, but the peloton wanted to control. There was still a small breakaway, and I was eventually glad not to be there, because my motto in this Vuelta was certainly to take breakaways, but with the goal of making it to the line. It was definitely not the case that day. In the final, Fred [Guesdon] told us we had carte blanche, and I motivated myself to do a nice climb. Initially, I wasn’t really ready for it because I took it a bit easy halfway through the race, thinking the leaders would fight for the win but I was positioned by Stef, the legs weren’t that bad, and there was a rest day the next day. I always had in mind to save some energy, but from time to time, it was useful to go all out. The rest day was nice: we could sleep in the morning, we did the usual coffee ride, and took a team photo in front of the bus. I was mainly happy to get to the rest day because I really needed to go to the hairdresser. I had made an appointment at a salon with our photographer, and the atmosphere there was absolutely memorable. We were trying to make ourselves understood, and I thought I’d come out with a terrible haircut. In the end, it went fine, and we had a lot of fun.
The day after the rest day, I really wanted to be in the breakaway, because we knew it could go all the way. I was very motivated, but I had a small issue. Yes, here we are: the musette episode. I was breaking away with two guys, I was running out of water, and I saw the musette in the distance. I wanted to say, “no musette, take out a water bottle”, but it was too late. The next feed zone was far away, and it was going to full gas, so we couldn’t go down to the car. I knew it was dangerous, but I took the risk of taking the musette. There was a bit of wind, I was a bit on the limit, and it turned out to be a bad choice… The team also admitted afterward that they shouldn’t have kept the musette in that place, at that time. The crash was spectacular but fortunately I didn’t break anything. I finished far back that day, but without any particular pain. It could have been worse. I wouldn’t say I’m happy to have crashed, but I was sent Jacky Durand’s reaction to this episode, and it was quite funny. I really went viral on social media! That said, I got more buzz when Kwiatkowski helped me ride straight when I was trying to get my chain back on a little earlier in the Vuelta. It got 15 million views!
On the Bilbao stage, we also wanted to enter the breakaway, but Visma-Lease a Bike didn’t want to let a large group get clear. Still, we had a great day as a team. Brieuc even managed to follow a group of ten on the penultimate climb with the favorites, we came back right after with Rudy, and there were still three of us in a group of 25-30 guys. We thought there was a chance to make a good result that day, then we learned at the bottom of the last “kicker” that the times would be taken at three kilometres and that there would be no winner. I was, and we were, gutted. It’s always a shame to fight the whole day, because it had been very hard physically, only to learn with five kilometres to go that there would be no finish. I let it go, and got back up, even if we also had to take the positives: there were still three of us in the team when it got hard, and that opened up possibilities for the future. Brieuc proved it the next day by doing a fantastic stage and claiming an incredible third place, with some amazing work from Stefan and Rudy in the breakaway.
“Thanks to all the people who pushed me on the Angliru”
I also had this stage on my radar since the start of the Vuelta. I liked it, and I wanted to do well, especially since my parents were there. My sister and her boyfriend also made the surprise of coming as well. Unfortunately, I quickly realized at the start that I wasn’t having a great day. I tried to follow when Rudy broke away, but I didn’t have the legs, and then I struggled to stay in the peloton for the rest of the day. I couldn’t wait for the final climb in order to take it easy. I finished in a gruppetto that day, and it wasn’t great for those who came to see me. My father wondered where I was, then saw me arrive twenty minutes after the leaders. It was a bit of a pain personally, because two friends from the “road closed” sign episode, which I told you about in the previous episode, were there too. They painted Braz all over the road, they had signs with photos from that time, and they cheered for me big time. The day before, they had also asked me for jokes about the other guys on the team to make them smile as they passed by. I think the guys were just as happy as I was to see them! They’re amazing friends. I was really happy they were there, and they really entertained me. Physically, it was more complicated, but I had prepared myself to have some bad days too. I think it can also be attributed to my crash 48 hours earlier.
The next day was Angliru day. I knew that the breakaway probably wouldn’t go all the way, but I hadn’t yet managed to be in front since the start of the Vuelta, and I told myself that I had to start launching a good momentum. My friends had printed hundreds of small photos of me, and with the help of the staff, I found them everywhere, especially on my water bottles. I knew they would be in the Angliru, and I told myself that it would be amazing if I passed in front of them while still in the lead. Unfortunately, I quickly understood that I wasn’t having a great day. I managed to get into the breakaway, but I was suffering, and that was confirmed on the first climb. I still asked Rémi to pull again to make an effort on the next climb, before the Angliru. I went in counterattack, I did a good downhill, a good start of the Angliru and then… the verdict proved merciless. I was with Ivo Oliveira, who let me go, then I turned around and saw him pulling at the front of the peloton, catching me, and dropping me. That one hurt. I had a good part of the Angliru left to climb, but with the steepness of the slopes, it was better to continue at a good pace.
I couldn’t wait to see my friends with three kilometers to go. They were there, under the banner, yelling and giving me a little push! Thanks also to all the people who pushed me on the Angliru. It’s part of the game, and it really feels nice when you’re far away. Some sections were so steep that I didn’t know how I was going to move forward. My friends entertained the other guys of the team again, then they sent me videos in the evening, and everyone had a big smile because they were really playing to the gallery. I want to thank Rémi for that day, who sacrificed himself for me. I also lost my glasses that day on a descent. Rémi had seen them, but hey, he’d already worked hard enough for me all day (smiles)! In La Farrapona, the next day, I wasn’t feeling well at all. So when UAE made a big push on the penultimate climb, I didn’t really want to fight, but rather to save some energy for later. It was also the last time I saw my two friends and we immortalized it with a beautiful photo. It was so great to experience that with them, a few years after that much talked about evening. You could say that things had come full circle.
“I didn’t care if it was Bernal and Landa”
The day before the second rest day, we knew the breakaway would probably go all the way. Stefan was there, and then Thibaud and I managed to make the jump at the last moment. We were 40 guys in front, and I felt like I was having a good day. I knew there was something to play for on this stage, even if it didn’t perfectly suit me. I had my chance, but I didn’t play it well. I think I had the legs to be in the group of seven that broke away in the final, but I was in a bad position when the decision was made. I lacked the bullet to go away with guys like Frigo because I had used it to move up from last to tenth place in the group. I felt really bad about it. I wouldn’t have beaten Pedersen, but it would have allowed me to get back on track and get my first top 10 finish in a Grand Tour. I mulled over these regrets all evening; I really had trouble falling asleep. You don’t have a million opportunities, so you can’t afford to miss them, especially when you’re feeling good. During the rest day, I mulled it over again, but as the mechanics told me: you shouldn’t put your pants down once you’ve peed it. That expression stuck with me.
That said, it was also thanks to these regrets that I had the day I had after the rest day. There was no doubt: the goal was to be in the breakaway because we knew it would go all the way. We managed to attack at the right time, and we had the cards we wanted that day with Rudy, Brieuc, and me. It was a dream situation to have three of us out of about fifteen riders. The first part of the job was done. We had the two rookies and the Grand Tour veteran in Rudy, who was also my roommate. I’d like to take this opportunity to say that it was great to share this Vuelta with him. As I like to say, the old man is mature but not rotten at all! He’s still super strong, and hats off to him for lasting so long, for doing what he’s doing after so many years, for still being there. He shouldn’t change a thing! He’s an extraordinary guy with whom I had some great times. End of the aside. Among the phrases that have stayed with me, there’s also one from the sports directors, two days earlier: “in big breakaways, the first move often goes very far.” That day, when I saw Landa go, Bernal go, I remembered that, and I decided to go. I had to use a lot of energy to keep up with them. I didn’t know if it would go far, but then I saw Brieuc come back with Nico Denz, and that’s when I realized it could go well.
The Soler group almost came back, but we accelerated again at the top of a climb, they stopped, and that was it. It was great that I was in front, and great that I was with Brieuc because we still had a number advantage in front! We were having a superb day. Then we tackled the decisive climb. It was more of a “wall”, but I remember having good feelings, and thinking about my failure two days earlier. I told myself: I can’t miss my chance today, I stay in the wheels, hang on like crazy, and don’t give up. My legs were good, and I managed to follow Landa and Bernal. I still had time to realize I was with two cycling monsters. On one hand, I wondered what I was doing there, but I also didn’t have any complexes: if I was there, that’s because I belonged there. I didn’t care if it was Bernal and Landa, I wanted to smoke them. I was actually in a dream situation because I no longer had to pull because Brieuc was twenty seconds behind. I know it upset them, but they had nothing to say. It was a legitimate situation. Some will say that the rest of the story is karma… On the downhill, I started to feel my bike lurch, then when we tackled a small kicker, I realized that I was really flat. It was hard at the time, because I realized that it was slipping through my fingers.
“People have more regrets than I do”
I tried to stay calm because there’s no point getting nervous at times like these. Oddly enough, there was only the Soudal-Quick Step car behind us… Ours hadn’t been allowed to pass. The neutral assistance arrived and wanted to change the wheel but blocked the chain. Then I put the bike aside, saw Brieuc and another group go by, then the team car arrived and gave me a second bike. I was a little dejected, but Yvon and Fred gave me a boost. As far as I remember, I only learned after the puncture that the finish had been moved up to the bottom of the final climb… At the same time, I heard on the radio that Brieuc was able to make it back. I thought: if he comes back and crushes it after what we’ve been through, it’s huge. In the end, he finished just a handful of seconds behind. Personally, I didn’t want to give up; I wanted to make up my own result, and I attacked a kilometre from the new finish. Only Denz was able to keep up with me, and he passed me on the finish line. Immediately afterward, I was extremely frustrated, and I thought I might have just missed a unique opportunity to win a stage in the Vuelta. Against Bernal and Landa, everything was possible. I’m not a great sprinter, but neither are they… We’ll never know.
With the summit finish, I probably wouldn’t have won, but I might have had time to come back and finish third despite the puncture. Still, I was happy not to have lost motivation and to have secured the top five. Brieuc scored another podium finish, “Daddy” Rudy finished tenth, and we could be proud of the race we put together. Brieuc came to see me straight away at the finish. He was also sorry for me, and even more so because he hadn’t managed to come back. He would have liked to have won it for me. It was nice to share this moment together. There are several things to take away from that day. I’m aware that I did something great that day, and it gives me a big boost for the future. I showed what I was capable of in this type of effort. A few days after the Vuelta, I think people have more regrets than I do. If it wasn’t meant to be, it’s because it wasn’t meant to be. I believe that everything has a meaning in life. And then, in hindsight, it was perhaps not THE best victory to take given the way it ended, without a podium, nor an audience… I received a lot of messages that evening, including from Marc Madiot, and I had his number registered this time. More importantly, it’s heart-warming when your friends tell you that you made them excited behind the TV. I don’t ride for others, but it’s always nice to bring emotions to your loved ones.
On stage 17, I remember there were a lot of people on the final climb, but unfortunately the forest had been completely ravaged by flames a few weeks earlier. It still smelled of ash. I was climbing alone, then I saw firefighters applauding us on the side of the road. But I told myself that what we were doing was just entertainment compared to them, whose job it is to save lives. I let go of my handlebars and applauded them back. Without them, this mountain would have suffered even more damage… In Valladolid, the time trial had been cut in half, and for me, that was a real treat! I was so, so happy to tell myself that I was only going out for twelve kilometres and not twenty-seven. In the team, we had five guys who were happy, and two who weren’t: our two time trial specialists. On the other hand, I can say that it’s quite impressive to see them prepare when it’s their stage. The next day was the quietest day of the entire Vuelta. It only got wild in the final and Thibaud managed another top 10.
“I’ll focus on the positives, because there are many”
On the penultimate stage, Stefan and Rudy managed to join the breakaway, but the peloton didn’t want to give up the victory, and it was a crazy day. We’d been lucky with the time trial and the previous day’s stage, but that day was really intense. The breakaway exploded on the penultimate climb, and we were caught by the peloton before the Bola del Mondo. I was determined to do the final climb at a fast pace, even though my legs were really tired. That was important for me. In the third week, the goal was to do all the final climbs flat out, to work for the future, and because there was less risk of not ending the race. People might wonder why I finished 38th on that stage while I had been able to keep up with Bernal and Landa a few days earlier. In fact, when you’re in front and you know you’re in the running for the win, you become a killer, and your physical strength is increased tenfold. Plus, the climbs suited me better. When, on the other hand, you’re fighting all day in the breakaway and you get caught by the peloton, it’s way harder. Even if you’re having a good day, you know that the top 10 isn’t possible with the favorites. Your brain switches off a little, not to mention the fact that the final climb of Bola del Mundo was hell. It was even harder than the Angliru for me. In the last three kilometres, the concrete slabs were awful, there were potholes everywhere. Hell, truly hell. But from up there, we could see Madrid.
My girlfriend arrived that very morning to experience this last day, but she didn’t see many cyclists… My sister had also returned with her boyfriend for the final stage. We knew it was going to be complicated because we had been given three different routes to reach the circuit. After fifteen kilometres, we realized that it didn’t look good because we weren’t taking the route recorded on the Garmin. As we approached the circuit, a spectator got into the road, there were some moves within the bunch, guys almost crashed in front of me, and I was really scared. I saw riders raise their arms in the air, we stopped 500 metres later, then the race director told us that everything was over. We got in the cars, and we went straight back to the hotel. I don’t know if I’m really disappointed not to have experienced this final day, because I don’t really know what a Grand Tour finish is. I was simply consoled by the fact that my sister and my girlfriend were there, and then we had a very nice evening with the team. We celebrated the end of the Vuelta in a wonderful way, and it was great to enjoy this moment together.
I didn’t experience the finish of the Vuelta, but I was lucky enough to stay in Madrid for two days with my girlfriend and enjoy this city I hadn’t been to before. I wasn’t really feeling nostalgic because I was still caught up in it. I realize it a bite more now because I’m back at my parents’ house and a lot of people are talking to me about the Vuelta, and how incredible it was to follow me. I’m pretty happy with what I managed to achieve. I experienced some amazing things with David’s victory, the red jersey, and the great performances of my teammates. There are some regrets and disappointments, but I’ll focus on the positives, because there are many. I didn’t weaken during these three weeks; I finished the last week with two breakaways and I’m far from destroyed. It was my first experience over three weeks of racing, and I think it went pretty well. I was both excited and a little anxious, but in the end, if you’re not sick and you’re managing yourself well, it’s certainly tough, but it can also go very well physically speaking. I can’t wait for the next Grand Tour to see what it can be like with extra experience and strength. Also a big thank you to all the people who encouraged me on this Vuelta and who sent me messages. It always warms the heart.
