The first three stages of the Alpes Isère Tour, from Wednesday to Friday, made it quite a lively start to the race for the riders. Only one sprint took place, and Lewis Bower could secure a top-10 finish despite a mechanical issue. Maxime Decomble took advantage of an uphill finish on the second day to grab a promising second place ahead of the decisive weekend.
As Jérôme Gannat always says, “the first stage in this kind of race is always important.” “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ experienced this again on Wednesday, on the opening round of the Alpes Isère Tour around Charvieu-Chavagneux, over 133 kilometres. With no one willing to take control of the race, breakaway attempts shook the peloton for nearly half the day. Seven men eventually managed to go clear in the first hills after sixty kilometres, and subsequently managed to stay away despite a gap that was reduced to fifteen seconds at one point. “We tried to close the gap in the final and to bring a sprint for Lewis, but it didn’t work out,” said Jérôme. Thirty-four seconds after the winner, the New Zealander took sixth place in the bunch, which meant thirteenth in the stage. So, the next day, between Dolomieu and Satolas-et-Bonce, “La Conti” wanted to be more attentive, particularly in the final. “The route was still quite difficult with nine climbs,” explained Jérôme. “It was very hectic, but the team was up there in the important moments.”
“It shows I’ve got the legs,” Maxime Decomble
Rémi Daumas, in particular, attacked from the bunch with forty kilometres to go, and set off in chase with another rider. He bridged across to the lone leader before the final twenty kilometres, but the peloton also came back, with six kilometres to go. “It could have worked, but the headwind and the long straights didn’t favour him,” commented Jérôme. “In any case, Rémi showed that he was capable of having an impact in the final of a race.” “Rémi was strong, and I thought the bunch wouldn’t come back,” added Maxime Decomble. “In the final, we thought we’d go for Baptiste [Grégoire] in the sprint, but he told me to try. I saw some attacks, so I followed.” Four kilometres from the finish line, the Groupama-FDJ rider found himself in the lead with Moritz Kretschy and really worked hard to make it work. “It wasn’t planned at all,” added Jérôme. “We were initially going for a sprint with Lewis, with a finish that suited him well, but he found himself behind. We also had hopes for Baptiste because the small 400-metre climb at 8% was good for him, and in the end, it was Maxime who broke away.”
In the final slopes of the day, after the flamme rouge, Maxime Decomble tried to get rid of his last rival, but the latter held on until the end. “When you can see the victory, you feel stronger. I gave it my all, but he still passed me,” said Maxime. “It’s very frustrating, because he took a turn at the very beginning, but none after that. At least, it shows that I’ve got the legs…” “It’s still a nice surprise to see him take second on a stage like this,” Jérôme said. “It’s not first place, and it was certainly a disappointment for him, but it was a bold move, and it shows his full potential.” Thanks to the six bonus seconds he gained and the small gap that was recorded at the finish line, Maxime Decomble also climbed to eighth place overall after this second stage. Friday, hilly terrain was once again on the horizon for the peloton in the Alpes Isère Tour, but it was also the last opportunity for the sprinters. “It was still quite hectic,” Jérôme said. “There was a strong acceleration seventy kilometres from the finish, which really put the mess in the peloton. There were about fifty riders in front, and since there was no longer any control, there were a lot of attacks. Six riders went away, and we had to take responsibility. We did it with the whole team, Baptiste, Rémi and Max Bock, while keeping Lewis for the sprint and Maxime for the general classification.”
“The team managed to take responsibility,” Jérôme Gannat
The chase paid off, and the breakaway was caught with about twenty kilometres to go. Maxime Decomble briefly tried to break away afterward, but the relatively flat terrain all the way to the finish prevented the various attacks from succeeding. A small bunch finish therefore decided the winner. “Lewis was put in a good position, on Matteo Milan’s wheel, but his chain jumped on a speed bump with 150 metres to go,” Jérôme explained. “So he finished ninth, and we’ll never know what it would have been like without that incident.” Maxime Decomble kept his eighth place overall after a very solid day collectively. “We had everyone in the first peloton of 45 riders, and I think we were the team with the most guys in front,” Jérôme emphasized. “The positive thing compared to the start of the season is also that the team managed to take responsibility, especially with Maxime’s GC in mind.” This weekend will be decisive in that regard. “Saturday, I think it’s going to be a bit of a mess,” said Jérôme. “There’s a proper climb after 65 kilometres, which will inevitably create a selection, but there will be more than 100 kilometres left to get to the finish. Sunday will be the grand finale with 4,000 metres of elevation gain, and it will be all about the legs”.
