Since Tuesday, the Groupama-FDJ squad has been competing in the final WorldTour event of the season, the Tour of Guangxi. After an unfortunate opening in China, with the crashes of Paul Penhoët and Lewis Bower in the first stage, the following two days were more successful. The French sprinter claimed two top-10 finishes (8th and 7th) and will have at least one more opportunity, while the decisive day for the general classification will take place on Saturday.
For the first time since the event’s creation in 2017, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team was present at the start of the Tour of Guangxi on Tuesday. On the other side of the world, the final WorldTour race of the year offered the riders a rather calm start around Fangchenggang, covering just 150 kilometres. On terrain with no real difficulties, a first sprint was expected. “We just wanted to be attentive at the start in case of a large breakaway,” explained William Green. “Rémy was a bit in the mix, and he entered a small breakaway, which allowed him to gain a bonus second. It was the main positive of the day, then he returned to the peloton, and we focused on our main objective: the sprint with Paul.” Unsurprisingly, the last fugitives were caught more than twenty kilometres from the finish, and the sprint gradually took shape. “Paul doesn’t have his usual lead-out train to support him in here, but we had a very specific strategy, and the guys did a really good job in the final to deliver him,” said William. “Unfortunately, at 400 metres, there was a crash right in front of Paul and Lewis, just as we were in a good position to produce a result. They couldn’t avoid the crash, but fortunately they escaped major injuries. It’s very frustrating, but the positive is that we took a lot of confidence for the first time of this team working together with Paul.”
“We’ll try to make some improvements,” William Green
Despite some abrasions, the two fast men from Groupama-FDJ were able to start the second stage on Wednesday, which took them to Jingxi after 177 kilometres. “Last year, the breakaway was caught 200 metres from the finish on this stage, so there was a chance of success,” William explained. “A solid breakaway group formed, with Kevin. The first goal was, of course, the bonus sprint, where Kevin gained a second. On the other hand, the peloton gave the break a maximum of 1’30 throughout the day, and there was therefore no chance of making it to the end.” On the final climb located 25 kilometres from the finish, the tempo increased significantly in the pack, but that did not prevent another bunch sprint at the finish. “The goal was to give Paul confidence and make sure he stayed calm, which is the most important after his past crashes,” William added. “There were a few attacks in the last kilometres, and Clément and Rémy did an excellent job closing them. Paul lost Lewis’s wheel in the final, but he took the turn at 600 metres in a good position and had an open road to sprint, which was great to see. He gave his maximum and was not limited.” On the line, this translated into an eighth place, not far from fourth. “For sure, Paul is capable of more and we’re also expecting more, but to come eighth after a high-speed crash isn’t always easy to do,” William insisted. “It was a very good start, and the goal was to improve further.”
On Thursday, another sprint was indeed on the menu for the riders during a 214-kilometre stage to Bama, and without any major difficulties in store. “There was a big fight for sixty kilometres and UAE really wanted to control to go for the first sprint with Narvaez,” said William. “We tried to join the fight with Rémy, Lewis supported him, unfortunately we were unable to take some seconds.” The usual scenario then unfolded, and the last man standing from the breakaway was caught twenty kilometres from the finish. “We had a reasonably hard day on the bike, a bit of elevation, 33 degrees and really humid conditions”, explained William. “In the finale, we had a plan to come later than the previous days. Kevin did a good job, then we managed the situation with Clément, Lewis and Paul. We didn’t want to be too far ahead at the last corner, which Paul did quite well. He was coming with speed and finished seventh. We’ve got to look at the positives: it’s better than yesterday and he’s in front of some very good sprinters. We’ll try to make some improvements for the next bunch sprint tomorrow.” Furthermore, Rémy Rochas and Kevin Geniets are in 15th and 16th place overall this Thursday, 29 seconds behind Paul Magnier, while the decisive stage for the overall will be contested on Saturday in Nongla (3.2 km at 7.3%).
