Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet successfully passed the first “mountains” test. At the top of the Gourdon climb, where the first stage of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes concluded on Saturday, the climber from Groupama-FDJ got involved in the fight between the favorites. Although he was unable to catch the leading trio in the final kilometres, he did make a good impression in the chasing group and ultimately took sixth place. The race will end on Sunday with another hilly stage towards Vence.
A complete change of scenery. After an explosive final on Friday on the Classic Var, the – almost unchanged – peloton was facing a very different program this Saturday in the opening stage of the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes. Four major climbs and no less than 3,500 metres of elevation gain featured were on the menu, with the double ascent to Gourdon as a conclusion. But it all started with the Col de Saint-Roch, where a six-man break was already away with about a minute’s lead over the peloton. The gap was however reduced on the following climb, the Col de Châteauneuf de Contes, since the bunch was quite nervous. “The breakaway never had much of a lead, the pace was quite high, even if not enough to create a selection,” explained Yvon Caër. “On the other hand, the race was really made difficult from the first climb of Gourdon with a very aggressive tempo from EF Education-EasyPost. The first climb was done at high speed and the peloton really broke up. We understood that it would be a climbers’ final, which suited us.” “The race kind of suited me with a series of climbs and difficult weather”, added Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet. “I like these races of attrition and I had some good feelings in the final”.
“Guillaume was one of the strongest in the chasing group”, Yvon Caër
After completing the penultimate climb, the French climber, Kevin Geniets, Quentin Pacher and Rudy Molard were all within a pack of around forty riders. Fourteen kilometres from the finish, the last climb towards Gourdon started, with rather rolling slopes until halfway up. “From there, the goal was to help Guillaume compete the final with the best”, said Yvon. “I think we weren’t maybe aggressive enough to position Guillaume at the bottom”. The steeper slopes began eight kilometres from the line, the leading group immediately thinned out, then Santiago Buitrago launched the first real attack 6.5 kilometres from the summit. Four riders got away, and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet found himself in a second group. “I have a small regret about the positioning,” he said. “I wasn’t straight in the wheel, I had to make a little effort to get back and that’s perhaps what cost me the opportunity to follow the best. I don’t know if I would have been able to do it, but I would have liked to know what it would have been like if I had been in the wheel.” “I think he was one of the strongest in the chasing group, and that he had the legs to at least try to follow,” confirmed Yvon. “He might have blown up afterwards like Carapaz, but maybe not…”
“It’s going the right way”, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet
Three riders eventually emerged from the steepest part before a more rolling finale towards the finish line, and the chasing group didn’t manage to get back. Christian Scaroni won for the second day in a row, while the Groupama-FDJ leader came forty-seven seconds later in sixth position. “Guillaume also needs to get some confidence because you never really know where you are at the start of the season”, concluded Yvon. “But the day’s conclusion is that he is in very good condition and that’s good news”. “I was even hoping to be a bit higher, and I think I didn’t miss much to be able to join the first three”, added Guillaume. “I’m not going to be satisfied with sixth place, but it’s going the right way”. The Frenchman holds the same position in the general classification, while a potentially explosive second and final stage looms on Sunday. “If Bahrain-Victorious wants to turn things around, they will have to attack early on,” Yvon pointed out. “I think there could be a great fight, and that from the first climbs. We will have to be ready.”
