Romain Grégoire was very much looking forward to this first test. So, after champing at the bit for three days, the young Frenchman didn’t miss his chance. On stage 4 of the Tour of Britain, he displayed his power and punch to claim a dominant victory at the top of Burton Dassett’s climb. Thanks to a two-second gap over most of his competitors, he also took command of the general classification. On Saturday, he will have to defend his leader’s jersey in an even harder summit finish.
Things were about to get serious this Friday on British soil. After three stages made for sprinters, the first hills were on the agenda on day 4, with 187 kilometres to cover towards Burton Dassett. “The day’s finish suited Romain’s qualities perfectly,” explained Jérôme Gannat. “There was a short 12.5-kilometre circuit to be completed twice in the final, with three ascents of the finishing climb, which wasn’t easy: 900 metres at 7-8% on a very narrow road. We kept a low profile at the start of the race to try to keep as many riders as possible in the final to position Romain for the climbs. It was also a positioning race.” The peloton initially had no trouble controlling a four-man breakaway, whose maximum lead was five minutes before dropping below the two-minute mark entering the final fifty kilometres. Shortly after, the peloton hit the first climb of the day, then the riders entered the circuit. The first ascent of Burton Dassett’s hill was done straight after, and Remco Evenepoel started the attacks. “We rather expected action on the penultimate lap, but the four guys who broke away didn’t gain more than ten seconds,” Jérôme said. “We also knew that there would be teams to chase behind, and Lorenzo also did a few pulls to catch the breakaway.”
“It was a big objective,” Romain Grégoire
Nevertheless, a ten-kilometre chase was necessary to make it all come back together. “We approached the race in the right way, and the guys did a great job all day to position me,” Romain confirmed. “On the finishing circuit, it wasn’t easy because some guys wanted to open the race from far and make it hard, like Remco. We managed it pretty well by staying patient and making the effort when necessary. All the guys did their part, but a special mention goes to Olivier Le Gac, who rode a fantastic race. He was there all the time and was really perfect in terms of positioning”. The French puncher was indeed ideally positioned for the second and penultimate ascent of the Burton Dassett hill. He was able to follow a few accelerations but didn’t push it when a few attackers tried to go away in the final ten kilometres. Still quite big, the peloton got organized to bring everyone back four kilometres from the finish line. “Then the goal was to be in a good position at the last corner, one kilometre from the finish,” added Jérôme. “Quentin and Lorenzo worked well to achieve this.”
When his teammates finished their job, Romain Grégoire took his responsibilities. “I played my cards fully and positioned myself ideally one kilometre from the finish line,” he said. “He got on the Soudal-Quick Step’s train and was smart not to follow Evenepoel, but rather a rider he knows well: Sam [Watson],” Jérôme said. “He went hard from the bottom and that put Romain in a good position.” At the front with 500 metres to go, the French puncher then perfectly controlled the situation. “When Romain is in this kind of finish, when he knows he can win, he doesn’t make mistakes,” said Jérôme. “He took the right wheels and we felt that he was confident and calm. He was patient, because we said in the briefing that he should launch the sprint before the last corner, since the last 200 metres were less difficult, at 4%.” That’s exactly what the young man did, starting his effort at around 250 metres, taking the lead immediately and keeping it until the end. “When I felt it was the moment, I went for it, and it held until the line,” he said. Ahead of Julian Alaphilippe, the Groupama-FDJ rider could celebrate a proper strong victory. “It’s really great,” he said. “It was a big objective to win here. The whole team did an incredible job and deserved this victory. I’m really happy. We have the leader’s jersey as a bonus, so we couldn’t have hoped for much better!”
“It’ll be another challenge,” Jérôme Gannat
While his fellow countryman finished with the same time, the other competitors crossed the line two seconds behind, and Romain Grégoire took the overall lead ahead of Matthew Brennan. A perfect day. “Originally, La Conti was supposed to ride this race,” Jérôme recalled. “We finally decided to come with the WorldTour team, but almost all the staff are from La Conti. It’s also important for them to be with riders like Romain and fight for the win in great races like the Tour of Britain.” On Saturday, the entire Groupama-FDJ cycling team will try to maintain this strong momentum heading towards The Tumble (5.5 km at 7.3%). “This is practically their Alpe d’Huez,” Jérôme smiled. “It’s a climb that could suit Romain’s abilities. We have a team with experienced riders like Olivier and Quentin to support him, and it will be another challenge for us.” “I’m ready to fight,” said Romain. “Anyway, when you have a leader’s jersey on your shoulders, you have an obligation to battle for it”.
