For the third consecutive year, Groupama-FDJ “La Conti” managed to secure a place in the top 10 of its own “Hell of the North” on Sunday. On a course which proved more treacherous than the one faced by the professionals a few hours later, Eliott Boulet achieved an excellent seventh place in the Roubaix velodrome, despite several issues along the way. Maxime Decomble (13th) and Lewis Bower (19th) also made it into the top 20.
On a route 100 kilometres shorter than that of their elders (167 kilometres), the U23 riders still had 27 cobbled sectors to tackle on Sunday, which was just three fewer than the pros. The “transition” portion at the start was therefore only about thirty kilometers before approaching the first dirty roads. “The cobblestones were a little wetter than for the pro race and that led to quite a few crashes,” Jérôme Gannat started. Even before the cobblestones, however, Baptiste Grégoire hit the ground, and consequently had to change bikes and shoes. “He chased for a while to come back but was never able to make it across the peloton,” Jérôme said. “It became almost impossible with the sectors coming one after another.” Around the halfway point of the race, the setbacks continued to come. “Eliott suffered a small crash entering the Hornaing to Wandignies sector, then Reef punctured, and at the end of the sector, Eliott was waiting for us to change bikes,” Jérôme added. “They found themselves more than a minute behind and chased with a small group of about fifteen riders, who came back to the peloton just before Mons-en-Pévèle”. “I was always in a good position, but I crashed twice,” said Eliott. “I put a lot of energy in order to come back, but each time, I was able to overtake a lot of guys in the cobbled sectors. I felt great, even though I told Jérôme that the final was going to be hard with all the effort I’d put in.”
“I spent 3/4 of my energy before the final fight”, Eliott Boulet.
And yet. In the decisive section of Mons-en-Pévèle, the 18-year-old was up there when the peloton broke up for good. “The cobblestones were very wet and muddy,” said Jérôme. “There was a crash, and the peloton split in two. Eliott and Lewis were in the first group, Maxime and Reef in the second”. Six riders then broke away at the end of the sector, while Eliott Boulet joined a chase group of seven riders. “They came back together before Cysoing, then it was the Carrefour de l’Arbre that made a big selection, particularly with crashes,” continued Jérôme. “They pretty much found themselves one by one on the cobbles.” “The group broke down gradually, and I was still there, but the further it went, the more I felt like I was getting tired because of the effort I’d put in beforehand,” said Eliott. “But I hung on, and I didn’t give up until the end.” Two riders from the Lidl-Trek Future Racing team took the lead in the final fifteen kilometers, while the Frenchman joined a group battling for fourth place.In the final sprint on the velodrome, Eliott Boulet then secured a very fine seventh place. “I didn’t even know what place I was fighting for,” he said. “I’m happy, it’s a good result as a first-year U23, but the top-5 might have been possible without all this bad luck. In a race of this level, the slightest issue can ruin everything. The favorites used their bullets when they had to, while I spent ¾ of my energy before the final fight.” “It’s a nice top 10, especially since he wasn’t spared with bad luck,” added Jérôme. “When you find yourself far from the peloton, you can sometimes lose hope. He chased for twenty-five kilometres, but he always stayed focused and didn’t give up. That’s what we said at the briefing. It’s a race where anything remains possible despite the setbacks. The overall performance was also satisfying, with three riders in the top 20. The small surprise is Maxime, who remained focused until the end to finish thirteenth in a race that isn’t really his thing. Lewis was still there and finished nineteenth. That’s very positive. Also, everyone finished, even Baptiste, even though he was outside the time limit. That’s a good thing because it was a really tough race.”
