Towards SuperDévoluy, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team showed some dedication. However, on stage 17 of the Tour de France this Wednesday, it didn’t prove enough at the end of a furious race. Although Romain Grégoire managed to enter “the good breakaway”, he fought for fifty kilometres to do so, then sixty more before the peloton decided to let go. He paid for all these efforts in the final, as high-level climbers attacked from the chasing group to finally fight for victory. Back in the front at some point, Valentin Madouas (16th) was unable to compete against Richard Carapaz, the stage winner. Romain Grégoire won the combativity award.
A day for the breakaway, finally. On Wednesday, there was no doubt this time that the fugitives would have the last word in SuperDévoluy, where a challenging finale awaited them. However, at the start of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, almost all of the field’s twenty-two teams aimed to hit the front. Therefore, a fierce and intense fight was expected over the first 130 kilometres, slightly uphill but without a proper climb. This was immediately confirmed, but it was first of all the wind which lit up the peloton in the first minutes, which led to some splits before the fight for the breakaway really started. The attacks and counterattacks then never stopped coming, Groupama-FDJ also got into the mix, and was rewarded after fifty kilometres of racing when Romain Grégoire opened a gap together with Magnus Cort, Bob Jungels and Tiesj Benoot. “We knew there would be a huge fight,” said Benoît Vaugrenard. “A lot of teams have accumulated a lot of frustration since the start of the Tour, and we knew the break was going to make it today. We were ready for this. It wasn’t easy to find the right move because there were so many attacks, but the team was valiant and fought well. Very well”.
“Romain did an amazing ride”, Quentin Pacher
Although the four men made a small difference, the pace did not ease off. Their gap fluctuated between thirty seconds and one minute twenty for about seventy kilometers. “Romain did an amazing ride in the front,” testified Quentin Pacher. “They rode at a crazy pace while there were continuous attacks in the bunch. We tried to follow the moves in order to be in the group that would break away, because it was sure that there would be one. We spent a lot of energy, and we gave everything we had to give.” The peloton therefore did not give up, and after it got closer at the intermediate sprint, a group of around forty riders eventually found itself chasing, with Quentin Pacher, Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, Clément Russo and David Gaudu in there. “They didn’t have to pull, it was a good move,” said Benoît. After more than 110 kilometres of fighting, the bunch finally decided to give it a break. In the lead, on the other hand, Romain Grégoire continued to push on with his three companions to stay one step ahead. “It was super difficult,” said Romain. “The turns come back quickly when you’re in a group of four, and I had trouble pulling on the flat with the beasts who were with me. When we got to the climbs, I didn’t cope with the change of speed quite well, but we had a head start, which was positive for the team which could manage the situation in the back.”
Starting the first of the three final climbs, the Col Bayard (7km at 7%), located forty kilometers from the finish, the leading group had a lead of more than a minute and a half. However, the gap was reduced under one minute at the top while Valentin Madouas followed a counterattack from Guillaume Martin. “Having Valentin in-between meant we just had to cover the moves behind,” explained Quentin. “Since Romain had spent a lot of energy in front, we thought he could serve as a satellite rider.” The former French champion joined his young teammate after more than ten kilometres of chasing, but the rest of the big breakaway also got closer and closer. At the bottom of the Col du Noyer (7.6km at 8%), Simon Yates actually launched the big attacks right away. Richard Carapaz did the same as the Englishman, the two men quickly caught the leading riders, and were also quick to leave them behind. “I think we played pretty well as a team, but we came up against stronger guys today,” confessed Romain. “On these kinds of slopes, it is for sure difficult to follow climbers like Carapaz or Yates, who are among the world’s top climbers. This is not my case “. “In the end, the Col du Noyer was too much for us,” said Benoît.
“We don’t have regrets […] The mindset is good, the mentality is good”, Romain Grégoire
Valentin Madouas tried to hold on for a while in a chasing group, but the victory was ultimately played between the Ecuadorian and the Briton well up front, and the South American rider took it. Valentin Madouas joined the line in 16th position, Quentin Pacher in 20th, Romain Grégoire in 25th. “We have to try to anticipate, like I did today, and there may be an opening one day or another,” said Romain. “I gave everything, I’m exhausted, I’m even having a little trouble recovering from it. We don’t have regrets tonight.” “In terms of commitment and tactics, there isn’t much to say,” confirmed Quentin Pacher. Romain Grégoire eventually received a small reward, which is the combativity prize. “We’ve been attacking for more than two weeks,” he said again. “The mindset is good, the mentality is there, but we still don’t have the victory we’re waiting for. We lack a little something physically or a bit of luck to get it. I have fun, I enjoy the race, but it’s still better when there is victory at the end.” “We can have regrets if we don’t ride well or miss the breakaway, but that was not the case,” pointed out Benoît. “We are beaten by stronger riders, there is nothing else to say. All we have to do now is rest and try again tomorrow. The profile is different, but the start will be tough, and we expect another great fight.”
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