The Groupama-FDJ United cycling team secured its first noteworthy result of the Omani campaign this Sunday. Although the peloton was caught out by Baptiste Veistroffer on the demanding uphill finish at Yitti Hills, Thibaud Gruel still managed to claim third place on the day. Unfortunately, the French team also lost its main contenders for the overall classification, as Brieuc Rolland, who was ill, did not start the stage, and Josh Kench suffered a heavy crash in the final.
The day began with bad news for Groupama-FDJ United at the Tour of Oman on Sunday, as the team lined up for the second stage with only six riders. “Brieuc had a very bad night and it was impossible for him to start this morning,” explained sports director Thierry Bricaud. “It’s obviously disappointing because he was a real option for a good overall result, but it wouldn’t have been reasonable for him to race.” Just over 190 kilometres were on the menu towards Yitti Hills with an uphill finish suited to punchy riders. “The goal was to fight for the win with Thibaud and to keep Josh in contention for the overall,” Thierry continued. “The stage initially unfolded just as we had expected.” Five riders went up the road early on, before three of them broke clear in the second half of the race and held nearly a two-minute advantage heading into the final two climbs of the day: Al Hamriyah (1 km at 8.5%) and Yitti Hills (1.8 km at 5.4%). At the summit of the first climb, twelve kilometres from the finish, Baptiste Veistroffer went solo at the front, while Thibaud Gruel, Josh Kench and Rémy Rochas were positioned in the front part of an already reduced peloton.
“Things are going the right way” – Thibaud Gruel
Trailing by around a minute, the peloton then tackled the descent towards the bottom of Yitti Hills and Groupama-FDJ United faced another setback. “Five kilometres before the final climb, there was a crash involving Quentin and Josh,” Thierry explained. “Quentin was able to get going again without too much damage, but Josh was more badly hurt, especially around his ribs. He managed to finish, but it seems very unlikely that he’ll start tomorrow. After losing Josh, we stayed focused around Thibaud, and everyone did their job to position him at the foot of the final climb.” However, the peloton approached the climb with too much ground to make up, and Veistroffer went on to take the victory, crossing the line seventeen seconds ahead of a group of around fifty riders. In that group, Thibaud Gruel sprinted to second place, securing third place on the stage. “It’s a nice podium,” said Thierry. “It’s a bit frustrating because we would have liked to fight for the win, but Veistroffer pulled off a great performance. Above all, it confirms that Thibaud had a good winter and is ready for the start of the season. That’s the most important thing.”Fifteenth in the Muscat Classic on Friday and thirteenth in Saturday’s bunch sprint, Thibaud Gruel recorded his first notable result of the year. “The legs have been good since the start of our stay in Oman,” the young rider commented. “I was already feeling strong in the Muscat Classic, I handled the climbs well but missed my sprint. Yesterday too, I mixed it up a bit and was a little frustrated with the result. Today it’s a podium, which is better, and things are going the right way. It’s very promising for what’s to come.”“I really thought it might end well, but it was still a mixed day for the team,” Thierry concluded. “Without Brieuc and Josh, it will now be very difficult to aim for a strong overall classification. There will still be a sprint opportunity for Thibaud, and we’ll see how we can manage the two summit finishes.” The first of those comes tomorrow at Eastern Mountain, the very climb conquered by David Gaudu just one year ago.
