The Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine got off to a good start on Tuesday for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team thanks to Lewis Bower. After entering the day’s breakaway, the young man from New Zealand was able to collect nine bonus seconds throughout this opening stage before finishing in the peloton. He therefore sits in second place overall and took the best young rider jersey, while Cyril Barthe got tenth place in the sprint.
A peloton of exactly 100 riders took the start of the first stage of the Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine on Tuesday. And from Sauzé-entre-Bois, it didn’t take long for the race to settle. From the first few metres, four riders took the lead, including Lewis Bower for the Groupama-FDJ team. “That was the goal,” said Philippe Mauduit. “With Lewis in the breakaway, we didn’t have to pull behind, because everyone knows we have a team of fast guys with Cyril, Blake, Eliott, and Lewis. I didn’t want to put our guys to work too early in the race. Putting a rider in front is always a good thing for the team’s dynamic and combative spirit. All our riders in the peloton were able to benefit from Lewis’s work to stay well positioned all day. The goal was ultimately for Lewis to get the bonus seconds. In this race, we ride all day on small roads where it’s difficult to bring bottles and gels, and in such heat, it’s important to reach the riders as fast as possible. By winning the bonus points and being up there overall, it also allowed us to be in a better position in the convoy tomorrow!”
“A great stage for Lewis,” Philippe Mauduit
Alongside Wessel Mouris, Niek Voogt, and Maël Guégan in the front of the race, the 20-year-old “Kiwi” gained up to a five-minute lead but focused primarily on winning the two intermediate sprints in the first fifty kilometres, as well as the very last one, forty kilometres from the finish, winning nine seconds in the process. “After the final intermediate sprint, the peloton was 2’50 behind, but we could see that it was under control with three full teams, so there was no point in pushing,” Philippe reported. “Lewis sat up and saved an hour of effort, which is no small feat in this heat.” Immediately afterward, the peloton accelerated sharply, and the breakaway was eventually caught before the last ten kilometres. “There was a final twenty-six-kilometre loop, where there were a lot of attacks,” Philippe said. “We managed to keep control of the peloton, which got a bit disorganized at some points. Guys like Clément, Eddy, and Enzo did a good job of making sure there wasn’t a breakaway, because our ambition was to go for the sprint with Cyril.”
The peloton, almost complete, then tackled the race circuit of Haute Saintonge with just two kilometres to go. “Cyril was supposed to sprint, with Eliott and Blake to lead him out,” Philippe added. “He was well positioned, but he launched too early and was overtaken at the end. It came back fast from behind, but we don’t have any regrets. At least he tried.” The Frenchman ultimately finished tenth on the day, while all of the team’s riders finished in the first pack of seventy riders. As a result, Lewis Bower sits in second place overall, one second behind the day’s winner Jason Tesson. “Tonight he is the best young rider, he’s wearing the intermediate sprints’ jersey, and he’s second overall,” Philippe summed up. “It’s a great stage and a great performance for him, especially after a difficult Tour du Limousin.” A great start that will need confirmation on Wednesday, in a slightly more demanding finish in Gond-Pontouvre.
