On stage 2 of the Étoile de Bessèges, Paul Penhoët grabbed his first top result of the year on Thursday, and certainly not his last. In the anticipated bunch sprint, the young man from the Groupama-FDJ cycling team took sixth place while Søren Wærenskjold claimed victory. Overall, he’s now seventh while his teammate Kevin Geniets in twelfth.
A less punchy final than the day before was looming this Thursday in the second day of racing of the Étoile de Bessèges. After the uphill finish in Bellegarde, it was time for a flat sprint in Marguerittes after 165 kilometres of racing without any major climbs. As usual, the peloton took on a moderate pace throughout the day, behind a five-man breakaway that was quickly established with Louis Kitzki, Victor Vercouillie; Axandre Van Petegem, Yohann Simon and Maël Guégan. Unlike the day before, however, the weather did not influence the race. “The peloton was definitely calmer as there was less wind on the menu today,” said William Green. “The critical point of the day was for sure the final descent at eight kilometres to go. It was very nervous before that and in the run-in to the final climb. Rémi actually suffered a small fall with other riders in this run-in.” The Frenchman nevertheless got back up unscathed, while the peloton was getting much closer to the breakaway.
“Everyone was 100% focused on the goal”, Paul Penhoët
“The plan was to stay organized and safe on this section, but not to fight too much for position before the descent”, William added. “The last three kilometers being on a large road, we had the plan of being patient today”. After a nice fight, the breakaway still surrendered shortly before entering Marguerittes, and the sprint started to set up in quite a chaotic way. “We got a bit lost in the last small village and we were a bit far in the last roundabout 4.5 kilometers from the finish”, recounted Paul Penhoët, the team’s sprinter. “Fortunately, I was still with Clément, and I stayed with him. I knew he was going to do his best to get me back in position. I was right, because in the end, he dropped me off well before the last corner, around the top 10.” The sprint turned out to be a bit confusing since four riders benefited from a split after the last corner, before the main sprinters got back on them in the last few hundred metres. “I had to make a first effort, and the line came fast, so it was hard to be able to move up,” added Paul, who ended up sixth in the sprint.
“It was an improvement on yesterday,” claimed William. “Unfortunately, we first lost Rémi, then Kevin had a mechanical problem on the big road, so we were two down. We made use of what we had, and Clément did a very good job to bring Paul into a good position. Sixth on his first sprint of the season, that’s an ok start.” “I can’t say that I’m satisfied with the result, but the positive thing is the guys’ mindset,” Paul emphasized. “Everyone was 100% focused on the goal we had set for ourselves, which was to put me in the best possible position at 600 metres. We would have liked to be even closer, but that’s part of racing. We must also take from today that even if we have problems, we can get through them when we ride together.” The 23-year-old should have another opportunity tomorrow in Bessèges. “We have some more difficult climbs, especially in the final,” William previewed. “Paul climbs very well so tomorrow’s stage actually suits the team really well. We’re confident in Paul to produce another result and we go all-in for him tomorrow.”
