The Tour de Bretagne came to an end on Wednesday in Dinan, where “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ scored its third podium in this 2024 edition. Lewis Bower completed the racing week with a third place, but the French team did not manage to leave Brittany with the much sought-after stage win.
In Gacilly on Sunday, a podium spot of Lewis Bower had already completed the first part of the Tour de Bretagne for “La Conti”. The next day, the riders hit the road again towards Saint-Méen-Le-Grand for a long, 200-kilometre stage. Jérôme Gannat also expected a more aggressive spirit from his men, and Ronan Augé tried to live up to that as he entered a breakaway in the first half of the race. “It was also his birthday,” said the squad’s sports director. “The breakaway took a small lead but not enough to hope to make it to the finish. They were caught before the final circuit, with about sixty kilometres to go.” Another race started and many attacks occurred from then on. Noah Hobbs tried to join the battle, but the team was then down to four men after Jens Verbrugghe and Titouan Fontaine had to withdraw. “When you only have four riders left, it becomes quite difficult,” added Jérôme. A breakaway of nine men therefore managed to get clear in the last two laps without someone from “La Conti”. They stayed away from the peloton and Matys Grisel took the win. “We weren’t there for the win,” Jérôme added. “Fortunately, we avoided a big crash in the bunch sprint, but we weren’t opportunistic enough yet.”
“The form is coming along nicely”, Lewis Bower
The next day, “La Conti” had to adopt another strategy towards Louvigné-Du-Désert due to its numbers. “We had high hopes in the sprint with Noah, but we knew we didn’t have the strength to control either,” explained Jérôme. “So we let the race develop. There was quite a big breakaway, it went fast all day, and there was no time to rest. We were hoping for a sprint finish without having to take charge.” Despite a bit of action in the final, a bunch sprint did take shape in the last kilometres, but it was the setup that proved tricky this time. “It was quite an unusual sprint with a big speed bump 250 metres from the line, in a curve,” explained Jérôme. “Ronan and Noah were up there, but they were a bit blocked in the middle. At the briefing, we said we wanted to take command with one kilometre to go because we knew it was going to be difficult. Noah was in the wheel of a DSM rider, who suffered a chain break in this much talked about speed bump. They almost crashed and Noah didn’t push on. Ronan tried to sneak in on the left, but it was mostly positioning. The final was certainly a bit chaotic, but there wasn’t enough teamwork to hope for a sprint and get Noah out of the pack.” Antonin Souchon claimed victory, Ronan Augé placed ninth.
The last stage of the Tour de Bretagne finally took the riders to Dinan on Wednesday. “It was a short circuit of six kilometres but very difficult and very technical,” presented Jérôme. “There was a cobbled climb through the historic city centre of Dinan and five laps to complete.” The peloton made sure to control every breakaway, and everything was decided in the last thirty kilometres. “It was a calm and controlled stage,” said Lewis Bower. “The boys did a good job working together on the front, Ben and Noah were working early before the circuit, and Ronan and I were in a good position on the circuit. Then it was full gas in every lap, and it was all about positioning. Fortunately, I was always well positioned, and on the last lap, I had the legs to keep going with the front guys.” “Lewis said he wanted to wait and go all in on the last climb and in the sprint,” added Jérôme. “It was a good strategy.” The New Zealander was indeed able to fight for a top position until the last metres, finally taking third place on the day after a solid effort. “It’s quite good,” said Jérôme. “We finish on a positive note. Also, the guys were much more present. The previous two days had been complicated from a collective point of view. We had a good chat between us this morning and it paid off.” “It’s a shame I messed up my sprint at the end, but I’m happy with this third place,” added Lewis. “It shows the form is coming along nicely after a slow start to the year.”
“We finished on a rather good note”, Jérôme Gannat
“La Conti” Groupama-FDJ therefore left this 2024 Tour de Bretagne with three podiums, a top-5 and a top-10. A good yet incomplete week. “The stage victory goal has not been fulfilled,” said Jérôme. “There were ups and downs. We can be satisfied with the three podiums, but again, we came for a stage victory, and we also lost everything on GC in stage 3. It was also a difficult Tour de Bretagne, with very long stages, averaging 180 kilometres. We sometimes lacked a little commitment and focus during the decisive stages, but it remains a good experience and we finished on a rather good note.” “This race was a little chaotic, without much control,” said Lewis. “We still got three podiums, which is good. It’s promising for the rest of the year, and I can’t wait for the next races.”
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