It only took three days of racing for Paul Penhoët to come close to victory. The day after a confused first stage on the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, and after a good teamwork on Wednesday, the young sprinter from Groupama-FDJ was able to show his speed in the bunch sprint of stage 2. In Abbeville, he was beaten only by Sam Bennett, and scored his very first podium of the season. He will try to do even better in Bouchain on Thursday.
Like on day one, there wasn’t much doubt about the outcome of the second stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque on Wednesday. Towards Abbeville, the terrain was in no way a threat to the sprinters, who therefore were set to fight again for victory. Three men went clear early on, and although the peloton let them six minutes at one point, the bunch sprint was never in question. “Cofidis chased for most of the day,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “We were always in a good position, but we did not want to participate in the chase. First, we needed to keep guys for the final, and above all, some teams had to take their responsibility. We wanted to be patient.” The bunch eventually caught the last man from the break, Cyrus Mink, with nine kilometres to go, and the fight for position was already well underway. The Groupama-FDJ came back up with numbers six kilometres from the finish, with Paul Penhoët as the last car of the train. “We waited a bit too much yesterday,” Thierry added. “Today, we decided to change our approach and take the lead to at least give Paul the chance to sprint.”
“When we are 100% committed, we can do great stuff”, Paul Penhoët
Despite a messy final, the young sprinter and his teammates were never caught behind in the last five kilometres. “It was really a super teamwork,” Paul emphasized. “We were all disappointed yesterday, but we were really motivated today and we also owe a lot to our sports director William Green. He worked really well on this sprint, and he explained everyone’s role. It was clear to everyone. I really have to thank all the guys because they were all 100% committed. We got really close to the initial plan, and that allowed me to be in a very good position 500 metres from the finish.” “Marc [Sarreau] did his job well until the flamme rouge,” added Thierry. “He put Paul in a perfect position, then there was a lot of confusion, and not always in a correct way.” Third at the flamme rouge, Paul Penhoët eventually started his sprint beyond tenth position. “It’s true that it was really chaotic, I lost speed and quite a few places,” he said. “I think that’s what cost me the victory, because I had to make a few accelerations to get back in the wheels.” He was still able to follow Sam Bennett in the last 150 metres and take second place on the line, just behind the Irishman.
He therefore earned his first podium of the year, while moving back into third place overall. “We can really be happy with the teamwork, and that’s what I’ll remember from today,” he emphasized. “Personally I’m disappointed with second place, but the form is there, and that’s reassuring after yesterday’s stage. It also proves that the team is very strong and that when we are 100% committed, we can do great stuff. There are still nice stages ahead of us, it’s really positive.” “It’s promising,” confirmed Thierry. “It’s only his third day of racing. He finished fourth in the first one, and he’s second today. He said yesterday that he still lacked a little race rhythm, which is completely normal. We must give him time to regain his bearings, his habits, and some confidence. In any case, he’s really motivated. We have to be a little patient, but it will pay off soon.” Another sprint should actually conclude the third stage on Thursday.
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