Seven months after his last official race, Paul Penhoët finally put on a bib again on Thursday, on the Circuit de Wallonie. Returning from a cruciate ligament injury, the young sprinter from Groupama-FDJ was back with “La Conti” for the occasion and did quite well in the final to Marcinelle. Despite a small incident before the flamme rouge, he managed to take part in the sprint for victory and grabbed a solid fourth place. A good sign before the 4 Jours de Dunkerque.
The Circuit de Wallonie therefore hosted Paul Penhoët’s much-anticipated return to racing this Thursday. Around Charleroi, the winner of the last FDJ French Cup teamed up with Marc Sarreau, his official lead-out man, but also with five youngsters from “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ. “This was the third time we participated in the event with La Conti,” explained Jérôme Gannat. “We achieved a podium in 2021 with Laurence Pithie, and got fifth place last year again with Laurence, but who was then a member of the WorldTeam.” After two editions won by the sprinters, everyone expected a similar scenario this year. The confirmation came early enough when Arnaud De Lie’s Lotto-Dstny took control behind a four-man break. The leading group never benefited from a significant gap, and even saw the peloton get dangerously close with 70 kilometres to go. “There was a first strategic point at km 117 with a small, cobbled climb then a slightly technical part for around fifteen kilometres,” added Jérôme. “We reckoned that there could be a lively race, everyone wanted to position, and the breakaway was caught just before the climb. There, De Lie attacked but Paul could follow and was present in a small group which took a gap.” “The boys did a good job in the first strategic points to put us in a good position,” said Paul. “We never had to make a useless effort with Marc.”
“I can’t wait to see what I can do with a little more racing rhythm”, Paul Penhoët
After a few moments, everything returned to normal, then the last hour of racing was shaken by various attacks. “We finished on an eleven-kilometre circuit to be done three times,” explained Jérôme. “Anthony Turgis attacked on the last lap, but the sprint finish was inevitable as Lotto-Dstny controlled until the end.” The last attackers were caught shortly after entering the last two kilometres, almost exactly when Paul Penhoët suffered a small setback. “I was rather confident in the final, because I managed my race well,” explained the French sprinter. “I had good legs, I felt I could do well. With Marc, we were on the left of the road a bit more than one kilometre from the finish, before the last corner, then we got caught behind a wave. We had to brake strong, and we found ourselves almost in the last positions in the group. Then there was a tough false flat, and I had to go quite hard to move back up.” “Paul had to unclip, but he didn’t panic. He came back gradually and found himself not too badly positioned”, Jérôme added. “Marc tried to guide him in the last kilometre, but due to the effort previously made to move up, Paul lacked freshness in the sprint”. Although he was back alongside his main rivals, the Groupama-FDJ rider was therefore unable to deliver his best effort.
On the line, he obtained fourth place while Arnaud De Lie claimed victory. “It’s a shame, because I think the result would have been different without this incident,” he said. “I am disappointed with the result, but the legs were good and that is positive for the upcoming races. Marc also did a great job. We already have a good momentum together. It was the first time we raced with the same jersey, and we understood each other really well during the race. It’s really nice. I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can do with a little more racing rhythm and more luck in the next races. There are a lot of positives for this return.” Also, “La Conti” scored its third top-5 in a row in the event, and Jérôme Gannat also seemed satisfied with his men: “When De Lie attacked, Paul was up there. This proves that his physical condition is good. He was surrounded by Marc Sarreau, who was our road captain, and young guys from “La Conti”, who had the goal to support him and stay around him. They did it quite well. Jens positioned Paul before the climb with 60k to go, and they also tried to position him 7-8 kilometres from the finish. Marc told me that the youngsters showed good team spirit. They did a good job as domestiques, and that’s what they came for.”
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