Ambitious after his victory in the opening stage of the Route d’Occitanie on Thursday, Thibaud Gruel was hoping to do it again in Friday’s second stage to Saint-Gaudens, which concluded with an uphill sprint. However, the young Groupama-FDJ United puncher was unable to conclude the work of his teammates this time and had to settle for fourth place. Nevertheless, he remains the overall leader ahead of Saturday’s major mountain stage.
From the very start of Stage 2 of the Route d’Occitanie on Friday, the race scenario was clear, with 200 kilometers and a rolling finale awaiting the peloton. “After the strong team performance yesterday and Thibaud’s victory, we knew we wouldn’t get much help controlling the race and that we would have to manage most of the day ourselves,” explained William Green. “Blake worked early on, then Esteban took over, and our two young riders did a great job keeping a six-man breakaway at around two minutes. We were very pleased with them. Later, when the terrain became more rolling during the final hour of racing, Josh also came up to help. Only much later did some other teams finally start contributing.” On the first passage across the finish line, twelve kilometers from the finish, the last man standing from the breakaway was caught, leaving only the ascent of the Serre de Nérous climb (1.5 km at 6%) to tackle before heading back toward the finish again. “In the final lap, it was all about staying in control and preventing any attacks,” added William. “Brieuc did a fantastic job in that regard. We then took charge on the descent leading into the final.”
“A combination of timing and legs” – William Green
Brieuc Rolland remained at the front until 1.5 kilometres from the finish before handing over to Olivier Le Gac, who maintained the pace until the final kilometre. The last 400 metres, averaging 5%, then loomed ahead. Tom Donnenwirth briefly held back before launching Thibaud Gruel in a set-up similar to the previous day. “The plan was to be patient because we knew the road was wide and that it was better to hit the climb with as much speed as possible,” explained William. “Thibaud may have been a little too motivated and encouraged the team to take the lead quite early. In the end, many riders benefited from the draft and arrived with more speed. It was a combination of timing and legs. Victory would have been difficult to achieve, but I think we could have done better.” As it turned out, Thibaud Gruel was unable to secure a second consecutive victory on the uphill finish. Initially classified fifth, he was later given fourth place after Noa Isidore was relegated. “We knew it was a great opportunity for Thibaud, and we were highly motivated to win again today. We did everything we could to make it happen,” said William. “It’s a slight disappointment, but in the end Thibaud was still there in the sprint, so we can’t be too disappointed. Above all, we’re really satisfied with the team’s performance today.”
On the other hand, the Frenchman retained the lead in the general classification, the points classification, and the best young rider classification. Tomorrow, the peloton will face the Hourquette d’Ancizan and the Col de Val Louron-Azet during the queen stage of the Route d’Occitanie. “Brieuc is still in the mix in the overall standings, and today showed again that he’s in good form,” concluded William. “It will be a nice challenge for him tomorrow, and we’re excited to see what he can do. If he can come away with a strong result in the general classification, that would be great. He has only just come out of the Giro, which can work either for or against him, but we’re optimistic and he’ll give his absolute best.”
