This was their only opportunity in the whole Volta a Catalunya. The pure sprinters therefore did not miss it in Lleida, on stage 4 of the Spanish event. Always in control behind the day’s breakaway, the bunch came together at the finish and the former rider of “La Conti” Marijn van den Berg claimed victory. Cyril Barthe temporarily left his domestique role to slip into the sprint and take a decent sixth place. Stage 5 on Friday seems more uncertain.
A single climb stood in the riders’ way this Thursday in Catalonia, and almost a hundred kilometres from the finish. Everyone therefore expected the sprinters to finally have their chance. Besides, the fight for the breakaway proved to be short at the start from Sort, and only Thomas De Gendt, Uko Berrade and Idar Andersen hit the front. “We didn’t plan to take the breakaway,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “We first wanted to keep Lenny safe all day, make sure that the guys would save some energy, and give Cyril a chance in the sprint. The day could have been harder, but fortunately there was not too much wind. It was still quite fast because the peloton absolutely wanted to come in a sprint. There was a small alert mid-race as splits formed on a downhill, but it was rather a calm day.” The peloton allowed a maximum gap of 3’30 to the leading trio, which was caught even before the last thirty kilometers, after three hours of racing at almost 45 km/h. Luis Angel Maté made another attack following the last intermediate sprint, but the Spaniard was caught eight kilometres from the line.
“It’s always good for morale”, Cyril Barthe
The expected sprint gradually set up and Cyril Barthe got in the mix. “The first goal was to secure Lenny’s general classification,” explained the Frenchman. “Then, I had the opportunity to do my sprint if I felt good. I took the opportunity in order to achieve the best possible result. I’m also grateful that the guys helped me to move back up as best as possible in the final, even though I hadn’t sprinted since the start of the season.” In the last three kilometres, the Groupama-FDJ riders appeared in the upper part of the bunch and Cyril Barthe was able to enter the last kilometre in a decent position. He also tried to gain a few places before the sprint was launched, then put on a nice fight to get sixth place on the line. “He was very motivated,” said Thierry. “He likes to sprint, but he doesn’t do it often because he has slightly different roles during the season. For this reason, he probably lacked a bit of experience and made a few positioning mistakes, but he did a good sprint. It will give him confidence for the future.” “I did my best,” added Cyril. “I think I made a few mistakes, but a top 10 is always good for morale and for the team’s good momentum.”
The 28-year-old also secured his first top-10 with the Groupama-FDJ’s colours this Thursday. Tomorrow, the peloton will head towards Viladecans in a hilly fifth stage. “It’s a stage that can suit the breakaway, which will take a long time to establish itself because it’s the last opportunity for the attackers,” concluded Thierry. “It will again be very fast, and the breakaway will probably make it”.
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