A few hours before the “big boys”, “La Conti” took part in its own Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. In the U23 edition, the French squad stood out and could play with two cards in the final of the race. Eddy Le Huitouze eventually finished just outside the podium, in fourth position, while Ben Askey took a good sixth place in the velodrome. These are the team’s best results on the Hell of the North since its creation in 2019.
Although they started more or less at the same time as their elders, the U23 riders had, however, almost a hundred kilometres less to cover on Sunday in Paris-Roubaix. That said, the twenty-five sectors on their menu were almost exactly the same than those planned on the Elite event. Only the iconic Trouée d’Arenberg was avoided across the 163 kilometres. Four riders first entered the breakaway while Titouan Fontaine, sick for a few days, was quickly forced to abandon. The cobbles started after thirty-seven kilometres and “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ immediately positioned itself at the head of the peloton. “The selection was made from the back in every sector, it went very fast the whole time, but we were always in front,” confirmed Alex Chouffe. “We had a plan and we followed it until the very end.” Halfway through the race, the leaders were caught by an already reduced bunch, but the race really opened up just prior to the Mons-en-Pévèle sector, with more than forty kilometres to go. “A group of eighteen broke away and we had two riders, Eddy and Ben,” Alex said. “Ronan and Noah were right behind and they of course let the other teams do the work.”
“We did everything right”, Alex Chouffe
Starting the last hour of racing, “La Conti” had therefore two cards to play. A few other riders were taken out of the front, due to incident or the speed, then came the Carrefour de l’Arbre, fifteen kilometres from Roubaix. Three men, namely Robin Orins, Robert Donaldson and Tim Torn Teutenberg managed to make a gap. “They went just in front of me, but I couldn’t follow,” said Eddy Le Huitouze. Nine men found themselves in chase in the last ten kilometres, but the trio didn’t get caught. Teutenberg claimed victory, but on the velodrome, Eddy Le Huitouze and Ben Askey played it perfectly and used their last bit of energy to take fourth and sixth places. “It’s not so bad,” added Eddy. “This is the third time I’ve done Paris-Roubaix and I’ve never been out of the top-10. It proves that it’s a race that suits me well.” “It’s a shame to miss the victory, but we did everything to take it, and we did everything well,” said Alex. “Ben and Eddy were super motivated because they love cobblestones. This was also the watchword at the briefing. You needed to love the cobble to enjoy it. All the riders did enjoy today, despite the suffering, and they fought until the end.”
Noah Hobbs and Ronan Augé finished just outside the top 20, four minutes behind the winner. “They had a very good position throughout the race and Noah only crashed because of a dog,” added Alex. “Otherwise, it was a very good team race with very good staff. We must pay tribute to everyone’s work because in this race, nothing must be left to chance. We had someone to help if necessary in every sector, but we did not suffer a puncture. We had great equipment and a united group to get the best possible result. For me, it’s a satisfying day with two riders in the first six. We can always do better, but when you’re in the mix to win the U23 Paris-Roubaix, it’s already a good sign for the future”.
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