Only 150 metres separated Thibaud Gruel from a perfect performance on Saturday during the queen stage of the Boucles de la Mayenne. On the demanding circuit around Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson, the young puncheur from Groupama-FDJ United proved to be among the strongest riders in the race and was even the virtual overall leader with five kilometers remaining. With two kilometres to go, he also launched a bold solo attack in pursuit of victory but was unfortunately caught just before the finish line. Benoît Cosnefroy took the stage win and, in doing so, also seized the race lead from him. An extremely frustrating outcome.
Starting from Aron on Saturday morning, the overall standings of the Boucles de la Mayenne remained very tight, with only the opening prologue having created some gaps. However, everything was expected to change on the road to Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson, where riders faced 3,200 metres of climbing, largely due to a finishing circuit that had to be covered five times and which included the Mont des Avaloirs (2.2 km at 6.6%) and the Côte des 14% (1.1 km at 5%). The repeated climbs were bound to create a selection, and Groupama-FDJ United hoped to capitalize through Thibaud Gruel, Maxime Decomble, and Rudy Molard. “Before reaching the circuit and during the first two laps, we mainly focused on staying well-positioned thanks to Lewis, Olivier, and Kevin,” explained Yvon Caër. “Then, when only around forty riders remained with fifty kilometers to go, we still had our three cards to play.” Within the reduced peloton, both Thibaud Gruel and Rudy Molard briefly tried their luck with attacks, but the leading group remained relatively compact as the race entered the penultimate lap. During that loop, three riders gained around twenty seconds, but the peloton never truly eased up. Then, on the final lap, several counterattacks emerged as early as the Côte des 14%, including one from Benoît Cosnefroy.
“I rode the race I wanted” – Thibaud Gruel
At that moment, Groupama-FDJ United found itself caught out. “It was a small mistake when we let those six riders go,” said Yvon. “Ideally, Maxime or Rudy should have been there because the plan was to save Thibaud as much as possible. We were carefully managing our efforts because, in this heat, one violent acceleration can be decisive. We practically had only one bullet. As a result, Maxime and Rudy had to chase to bring Thibaud back into contention, and we benefited from the fact that the riders ahead weren’t working together quite well.” At the foot of the day’s final climb, Mont des Avaloirs, the peloton had reeled everyone back except Aubin Sparfel, who still held a twenty-second advantage. The final showdown could however begin. Rudy Molard set the pace on the lower slopes, accelerating the group, and near the summit, Thibaud Gruel finally unleashed his full strength. “At that point in the race, Thibaud was second overall, on the same time as Cosnefroy,” Yvon added. “Since we knew it would come down to tiny margins, we decided to target the bonus seconds at the top of the final climb to take the leader’s jersey, and we managed to do it! Thibaud was one of the only favorites who still hadn’t made a big effort, so when he attacked, there were hardly any rivals able to follow.”
Sparfel was eventually caught, and the Groupama-FDJ United rider did claim three bonus seconds before getting over the climb and beginning the descent toward the final five kilometres. After neutralizing several counterattacks, the rider from Tours entered the “money time” perfectly positioned within a group of around ten riders, alongside teammate Rudy Molard. “I was leading the overall classification, and then I had an opportunity to attack with two kilometres to go, so I seized it,” Thibaud explained. “There was a brief hesitation behind, and I decided to go for it. You have to be bold sometimes. There were still a few fast finishers in the group, so I didn’t overthink it.” The young Frenchman quickly opened a gap of 4-5 seconds. He still held that advantage under the flamme rouge and had lost very little ground as he entered the uphill finishing straight. Unfortunately, with the sprint launched from far behind him, his advantage proved insufficient. His brave effort ended abruptly just 150 metres from the finish line. Victory slipped away, and he eventually finished thirteenth on the stage, just behind Rudy Molard. “I don’t really have any regrets,” said Thibaud. “I enjoyed myself, and I rode the race I wanted to ride. Unfortunately, the one scenario we needed to avoid happened: Benoît won and moved ahead of me in the overall standings thanks to the bonus seconds. It’s a bit frustrating, but that’s racing. I did everything I needed to do to achieve my goal. I was just one step short.”
“The day could have been great”– Yvon Caër
“Thibaud really gave himself every chance to win,” insisted Yvon. “After that, you can’t control what happens behind. Pedersen chased him for two kilometers. Maybe he still believed he could sprint for the victory himself… It’s difficult to understand, and it’s unfortunate for us because it was already a good day, but it could have been great under different circumstances. Still, what Thibaud did on instinct was exactly right, and we have no regrets. We had to try, and we did. We’re disappointed with the outcome, but we have no regrets.” Thibaud Gruel did not leave empty-handed on Saturday. Thanks to his outstanding performance, he climbed to second place overall on the eve of the final stage in Laval. “Normally, the last stage is destined for a bunch sprint,” concluded Yvon. “Some teams came here specifically for that. With a seven-second deficit, we would need to win the stage, and we know that won’t be easy.” “Anything is still possible,” Thibaud said with a smile. “But it certainly won’t be simple.”
