Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet saved the best for last. On Saturday, in the closing stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, the French climber showed his stamina after a short but grueling day around Eibar. After Romain Grégoire’s breakaway, the leader of Groupama-FDJ took advantage of the last climb to launch a counterattack behind two favorites who had gone earlier. A crash in the last three kilometres stopped him a bit, but the Frenchman was then given the same time as the second group, therefore securing the top 10 overall (8th).
The famous “up and down” stage of Eibar, with seven classified climbs and 3,700 metres of elevation gain spread over 153 kilometres, was on the menu this Saturday to conclude the Tour of the Basque Country. An ideal profile for the climbers, but an equally interesting profile for turning the general classification over. “We were all behind Guillaume today, because we know he likes this kind of stage,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “We also know that breakaways rarely go all the way on this stage, but we decided to put a good climber in front, to potentially be useful in the final.” In the first major climb of the day, Romain Grégoire went for it and then joined a breakaway of around twenty men. “If the breakaway had got a big lead, he could have tried to get a big result, but we knew this stage was a bit too difficult for him,” added Benoît. What’s more, the breakaway never really enjoyed a significant gap over the peloton, which kept it under three minutes throughout the first half of the race.
“Guillaume was really strong”, Benoît Vaugrenard
Halfway through the race, and after the first five climbs, the breakaway was down to eleven riders, and the Groupama-FDJ’s puncher was still there. However, the peloton came back at full speed as the Izua climb (4 km at 9%) approached, and Romain Grégoire was caught while the rain appeared. As for Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, he managed to keep up with the yellow jersey’s pace, although he was unable to follow Joao Almeida and Enric Mas as they attacked towards the summit. He then found himself a second group of favorites heading towards the final climb, at Trabakua (3.3 km at 6.8%). He gave a few turns at first, before he decided to give it a go when the slopes came, going solo in counterattack! “At the briefing, we say we could try to break away in the final, on the last hills, and he did it more or less where we had planned,” said Benoît Vaugrenard. “It was really well done, and he was really strong. When he attacked, everyone was at the limit, and his attack was really sharp. He made just one and ultimately it was the right one. We were a bit scared at first because he didn’t take much of a lead, but he was ultimately very strong and he managed to hold on, with the help of Aranburu later on.”
Some forty seconds behind the leading quartet, and around thirty seconds ahead of the rest of the GC contenders, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet worked with the Spanish champion through the final hills of the course. He then headed towards the finish line, a few kilometers further down, but found himself on the ground after slipping on a wet road just under three kilometres from the finish. The French climber was caught by the third group before the finish, crossing the line in 19th position, but was subsequently given the same time as Aranburu, 21 seconds ahead. “I’m still a bit frustrated that I couldn’t finish it off and get a good result on the stage,” smiled Guillaume. “Besides the general classification, it was a great day. I was going quite well, just like the last two days. I’m pretty satisfied with the day and the improving form over the week.” “We know Guillaume’s endurance, and today was just that,” commented Benoît. “The weather was also good for him. We could see that he was improving over the past two days. We decided to really support him, because he deserves it, and this final eighth place is a great reward for him and the team.”
“The team as a whole was really excellent,” Benoît Vaugrenard
Thanks to an aggressive and combative race, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet gained five places in the general classification on this final day. This is his first top 10 in a WorldTour stage race since 2023. “The week’s balance is good,” concluded Benoît. “We came with several objectives, which wasn’t easy. We fought for a sprint in the second stage with Thibaud (4th), the third stage left us with regrets with Romain (2nd), and we concluded today with Guillaume in eighth place. Sometimes, one rider stands out, but I’ll say that the team as a whole was really excellent, and it was a real pleasure to spend this week with them.” While Romain Grégoire will now head to the “Ardennes” Classics, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet will first make a detour to the Franche-Comté triptych next weekend. “While the idea this week was to go for the overall, next week it will be to put my hands in the air,”Guillaume said. “There will be three opportunities, so I hope to win at least once.”
