The first win of the 2025 season is here for “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ! After a very open race on the Boucle de l’Artois on Saturday, Lewis Bower left his mark. Well-positioned at the front when the echelons shook up the peloton, the 20-year-old New Zealander eventually beat a small group of around twenty men in a sprint, thus securing his very first victory of the season.
Previously organized as a stage race and reserved for the French amateur clubs, the Boucle de l’Artois was held this year as a one-day race and also welcomed a few professional teams due to its Class 2 status. “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ was there to compete in its fourth day of racing as a team this season. No fewer than 191 kilometers were on the menu for Jérôme Gannat’s riders, on slightly hilly, but above all very exposed terrain. “It was a very intensive race because there were crosswinds almost all day,” explained the French sports director. “It caused quite a few splits in the peloton, there were also a lot of crashes, and so it was a very tough race.” Due to the continuous tension in the pack, no breakaway could develop during the first sixty kilometres while each team had to experience a few issues. “We suffered quite a few crashes early in the race, especially with Reef and Rémi,” Jérôme added. Halfway through the race, a crash actually split the peloton in two, and the race never eased off from then on.
“It’s a nice victory”, Lewis Bower
A first bunch of around forty riders regrouped eighty kilometres from the finish line, but a few moments later, everything exploded again. “An echelon happened at the top of a hill and twelve strong riders found themselves in the lead, including Lewis,” Jérôme said. “The peloton was then split into four groups. We had Baptiste in a second group and Reef in a third one.” “It was a tough race, with a lot of wind all day and not much control,” Lewis added. “It was a fight to stay the whole time. I made sure I was up there when the moves started. I was able to enter the right group and then we just rode all the way to the finish, but it was really difficult in the wind.” Although the gap never grew significantly, the group of twelve managed to keep the second peloton at distance. Only seven riders managed to bridge across with ten kilometres to go. “Baptiste was in this chasing group, but he punctured just before joining the front of the race, and so he found himself in a peloton of about forty riders behind,” explained Jérôme.
With the gap growing to a minute and a half on this peloton, victory was assured to a member of the leading group. “We had confidence in Lewis’s sprint, but I was afraid a breakaway would go at the last moment and that he wouldn’t compete for the win,” said Jérôme. Lewis continued: “Two riders attacked before the flamme rouge, but they were caught with 300 metres to go. Everyone went a bit early, I was a bit far back, but fortunately it was a headwind sprint, and I came back from behind with speed. Everyone went to the right and slowed down, I went round on the left and got the win”. The New Zealander clearly dominated this small-group sprint and could celebrate in style. “It’s a nice victory,” he said. “I’d done a long block of training in New Zealand to come in Europe with some form and race a lot. I’ve had good legs and to have a victory to show for that is very special. I’m super happy to get a win for the team and to get my first win in a one-day race as well at the UCI level”. “It’s our first victory of the year, but we’ve only competed in four races,” Jérôme said. “Lewis confirms his great season of last year and his good start to the season, especially with the WorldTeam. You had to be very solid to win today. It’s good for him because it gives him confidence. He knows he has to perform if he wants to move up to the next level.”