The Groupama-FDJ cycling team capped off La Route d’Occitanie in the best way possible on Saturday. After a difficult day in the Pyrenees, Yvon Caër’s men proved more successful in the fourth stage to Saint-Girons and were able to fight for victory in a reduced peloton. After a great team effort, Thibaud Gruel made the most of his explosivity to claim his second win of the season, while Cyril Barthe (3rd) and Tom Donnenwirth (4th) finished just behind him!
Although the queen stage of La Route d’Occitanie was done yesterday, the riders still had some mountains on the menu. On Saturday’s fourth and final stage of the race, three nice climbs were to be covered: the Col du Portet d’Aspet (4.4 km at 9.5%), the Col de la Core (14.2 km at 5.9%), and finally the Col de Latrape (5.8 km at 7.3%). At the top of the final difficulty, however, there were still forty kilometres to complete to reach Saint-Girons. The profile therefore suggested a potential opportunity for the breakaway, which the Groupama-FDJ wanted to seize fully. “I wanted the guys to stay focused after yesterday’s stage, because ‘bad days’ exist, and you can also feel much better the next day,” explained Yvon Caër. “We really thought the breakaway would go all the way today. There was a big fight at the start, and it was hard to be in front. A strong move went on the Portet d’Aspet, and luckily Tom was in the mix. He was the only one who could be there; he represented us at the front, and that was a good thing for us.” However, the eleven-man breakaway was never able to gain a serious advantage due to Caja Rural-Seguros RGA missing the move. “If they had been there, the breakaway would probably have made it to the finish,” assured Yvon.
“I impressed myself a bit,” Thibaud Gruel
Therefore, on the long Col de la Core, the peloton came back really close to the leaders. Tom Donnenwirth then tried to distance himself on the descent, but everything came back together with about fifty kilometres to go. “We had considered a sprint as a last option, but at the top of the Col de la Core, everyone was still more or less in the mix,” Yvon added. “Then, at the top of the final climb, Kevin and Thibaud passed not so far from the first group, then Tom, Rudy, Rémi, and Cyril managed to regroup and make a great effort to come back.” With just over twenty kilometres to go, the Groupama-FDJ squad was then complete in a peloton of around fifty riders. “It was a tough day and a really hard course,” Thibaud Gruel explained. “We were keen to get our revenge after yesterday. We all fought hard, and in the end, we were all there in the first group. Personally, I impressed myself a bit today, because I was able to climb well and repeat the threshold efforts, which is sometimes one of my weaknesses. I felt very good.”
Having just returned to the first group, Rémy Rochas helped set the pace to make it a bunch finish in Saint-Girons. The Frenchman kept control until three kilometres from the finish, then Rudy Molard positioned the lead-out train, which Kevin Geniets really set on track with one kilometre to go. “We wanted to replicate the plan from the second day,” explained Yvon. “There was just a little mix-up at one point, because Tom was supposed to be in Kevin’s wheel. It disorganized us a bit, but Thibaud was supposed to launch the sprint, and that’s what he did after the roundabout with 200m to go. Then, he saw that the finish line was right there, he still had power and he continued his effort. He made a small mistake by unintentionally closing the space for Cyril, who was positioned on his wheel to finish the job, but the sprint was on a left curve, and it was also natural for Thibaud to go along the barriers. He didn’t know Cyril was there.” Thanks to his initial kick, Thibaud Gruel managed to gain an advantage that Andrea Vendrame was unable to overcome, and the young man therefore took victory on the line, while Cyril Barthe (3rd) and Tom Donnenwirth (4th) completed this superb team effort.
“Everyone gave their all,” Yvon Caër
“It’s great to confirm after my first victory, and also to put my hands in the air, because I couldn’t do it in the Boucles de la Mayenne prologue,” said Thibaud. “My start to the Route d’Occitanie wasn’t as good as I’d hoped, but today I managed to put in a near-perfect race. Yet, I wasn’t very confident after yesterday’s stage, and I didn’t think I’d be able to overcome all these climbs. I was even among the first moves at km 0. So it’s a bit funny that I won the sprint at the finish. Anyway, it’s just great to win! Plus, my teammates aren’t far behind, and I thank them a lot for the hard work they did”. “The lead-out man got ahead of the sprinter, as sometimes happens,” concluded Yvon. “A sprint always involves uncertainty. In other circumstances, we would have been able to go 1-2, but who knows in what order? This victory certainly makes up for yesterday’s disappointment. The week’s results are mixed because the goal was the general classification, but we were present in both sprints and that’s also a satisfaction. Everyone was united, everyone gave their all and I saw a very positive spirit. It’s very encouraging for the future, and there are no small victories.”
