There were no surprises this Saturday at the Grand Prix du Morbihan. After 190 kilometres of racing, everything came down to an uphill sprint at the top of the Cadoudal climb. Perfectly positioned before the final straight, Thibaud Gruel was able to showcase his punchy skills and claimed a solid fourth place at the finish. On Sunday, the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team will tackle the second Breton race of the weekend, the Tro Bro Leon, with ambitions of aiming even higher.
For the seventh round of the FDJ United Series, the peloton headed to Brittany this Saturday for the Grand Prix du Morbihan. In Plumelec, the traditional Cadoudal climb (1.9 km at 5.6%) had to be tackled by the riders thirteen times throughout the day, with eight consecutive ascents on the finishing circuit. Despite nearly 2,500 metres of elevation gain on the menu, everyone expected the decisive fight to come on the very last ascent. “We anticipated quite a controlled race scenario, especially given the start list,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “However, we knew there could be some moves with three or four laps to go. That’s exactly what happened, and we couldn’t afford to get caught out. Tom [Donnenwirth] reacted well.” The French puncheur joined an attack with three laps remaining, but the race quickly settled back down. “It returned to a classic scenario, with some teams controlling things for a sprint finish,” Benoît continued. “We knew we had to be well positioned from the beginning of the final lap because things get very fast afterward, and it’s almost impossible to move up on the narrow road leading into the climb. Tom had to position Thibaud and Rudy, who were our two protected riders, and the job was done really well.”
“It’s very encouraging for what’s to come” – Benoît Vaugrenard
Under the flamme rouge, the trio was still in an excellent position, but 500 metres later, Rudy Molard was unfortunately forced onto the roadside after a wave within the bunch, leaving only Thibaud Gruel in contention for victory. The young Frenchman entered the final corner in fourth place and gave everything to the line, ultimately finishing… fourth. “He lost a little bit of speed in Venturini’s slipstream, but I don’t think he made any mistakes,” Benoît explained. “He produced a really good sprint. Last year, he came away frustrated because he had sat up. He had revenge to take, and he did what he needed to do. We knew victory would be difficult to achieve, but we were aiming for the top three. We were very close, but there are no regrets. For Thibaud, it’s very encouraging for what’s to come, especially with an important month of racing ahead of him. It’s good for morale to be in the mix. The only regret is Rudy’s incident. I think a place in the top ten was clearly within his reach. There’s a little disappointment on that front, but overall I’m satisfied with the team’s performance in such a strong race.”
