After his first even professional victory on Thursday on the Boucles de l’Aulne, Lewis Askey thought he was about to make it two this Friday, on the second round of the Breton weekend in the Tour du Finistère. In a much less lively race than the previous day, the British rider once again tried to anticipate the uphill sprint by attacking 700 metres from the line, but couldn’t break away alone like the day before. In the final straight, Aubin Sparfel counterattacked and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team rider ultimately secured fifth place.
There were only thirty kilometres between Châteaulin, the finish city of the Boucles de l’Aulne on Thursday, and Quimper, which hosted the Tour du Finistère this Friday. The transfer was therefore quite short, and a nearly identical peloton was expected for the day’s 168 kilometres, and for the anticipated explosive finish in the French town. Four men initially took the lead through the breakaway and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team did not hesitate to take its responsibilities at first. “This allows us to maintain confidence and be positioned,” explained Yvon. “However, we did not have the support we hoped for, and we had said that we didn’t want to waste too much energy either in the chase. So we stopped pulling at one point.” Eliott Boulet led the pursuit during the first half of the course, then the race got a little more active with about sixty kilometres to go. Clément Russo was vigilant and followed a group of around fifteen men, but the pack then got back together and remained in control behind the break. With about thirty kilometres to go, the riders began the first of three laps of the finishing circuit, but the action didn’t really occur.
“I want to highlight the positive momentum”, Yvon Caër
Only one rider was able to break away to join the breakaway’s surviving duo, but the peloton gradually got closer. “We know that on this circuit, you quickly lose 20-25 seconds on a climb when you’re alone, so it wasn’t a very dangerous move,” Yvon said. Therefore, shortly after entering the final lap, everything came back together, and no clear differences were made before heading towards Quimper for the final two uphill kilometres. “Eddy and Clément [Russo] did a really good job stretching the peloton out after the descent in order to make sure that Lewis and Thibaud weren’t pushed around,” Yvon added. “In the briefing, it was planned for me to go on the climb and for Thibaud to sprint,” Lewis explained. So the Englishman did just that, about 700 metres from the finish line. “I wasn’t feeling great today; my legs were a bit sore after yesterday’s race, but this type of finish suits me very well,” Lewis said. “Even if I’m not at my best, I know I can do well. Unfortunately, I almost crashed 2-3 kilometres from the finish; someone hit my derailleur, and after that, I couldn’t really push too much because the chain would jump. So, when we got to the steep section, I tried to make a slightly gentler effort so the bike would hold on.”Despite a “smoother” attack, the British rider still took a gap on most of his rivals but didn’t manage to completely go solo since Aubin Sparfel followed his wheel. “Without this small problem on the climb, I could have gone all out right away and maybe not bring someone with me, but that’s racing,” he said. “He won yesterday by taking the initiative, so we can’t blame him for doing it today,” Yvon added. However, Lewis Askey was unable to get rid of the young Frenchman in the final 500 metres, which were less steep. In the final straight, Sparfel took the opportunity to counterattack the Groupama-FDJ’s man, who was forced to settle for fifth place as he was caught by the first guys of the pack. “Fifth is not bad, but I’m disappointed because I think it was possible to win today,” Lewis said. “The attack option paid off, but not to our favour today,” Yvon concluded. “Yet, I want to highlight the positive momentum and the aggressive approach. We did everything we could to win.” Thibaud Gruel finished tenth today and will be competing in the Grand Prix du Morbihan on Saturday, unlike his English teammate. “We need to stay confident over the next two days and do everything we can to win with the different cards we’ll have,” Yvon insisted. “It’s definitely possible to achieve some great things this weekend,” Lewis confirmed. “For me, it will be rest tomorrow, then full gas on the Tro Bro Léon!”
