The first experience in Romania of “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ ended in superb fashion this Sunday in Bucharest. In the bunch sprint that concluded the fifth stage of the national race, Lewis Bower and Ronan Augé conquered the first two positions. The New Zealander took his second victory of the week, his third of the season. It is therefore with a very positive balance that the development team left the country.
On the evening of Lewis Bower’s first victory on the Tour of Romania, on stage 3, Jérôme Gannat had said there were two days of racing left, and as many opportunities for the fast 19-year-old New Zealander. On Saturday, the first one was to be seized in Târgoviște after 190 kilometres. “A three-man break took a five-minute lead, and we thought they would go all the way, because they still had two minutes with fifteen kilometres to go,” Jérôme said. “Maxime [Decomble] took part in the chase with two or three other interested teams, and they finally caught the fugitives 300-400 metres from the line. Unlike the day before, it was Ivan Smirnov who went quite early, and there was a tailwind in the sprint. Lewis was not immediately on his wheel, and that’s where the small difference was made. Lewis was coming back, but the line came too quickly, and he finished second.” On this occasion, Ronan Augé also got involved in the mix, finishing just outside the podium. There was therefore only one chance left for “La Conti” to double the lead, and they had to seize it on Sunday in the Romanian capital, over just 100 kilometres. “It was a circuit on Bucharest’s Champs Elysées,” said Jérôme with a smile. “It was a return trip (2 x 3 km) on a large avenue that passed in front of the parliament.”
“A perfect day,” Ronan Augé
Four riders hit the front for this last morning of racing, but the peloton controlled the situation without problem. “Very quickly, Maxime took part in the chase to catch the breakaway, which was done just before entering the last lap,” commented Jérôme. “It was very nervous and fast,” summed up Ronan. “Maxime did a superb job to get back to the breakaway. He rode for half the race at the front. Lewis and I stayed together because we knew it was going to be nervous in the final.” After just two hours of racing, the pack headed for a last sprint. “It was a special one, because there was a U-turn and then we went up the avenue for 500 metres,” explained Jérôme. “Ronan and Lewis were well positioned, and unlike the day before, it was a headwind sprint. Yet, it opened from quite far. Thanks to their positioning, they were able to extricate themselves quickly, the riders in front of them lost speed, and they went on to take 1-2.” “We had really observed everything,” added Ronan. “The wind was coming from the left, so we knew we had to open on the right. The positioning was ideal, everything came together, and we could sprint the both of us and finish first and second. It’s a perfect day for the team.”
“An incredible experience”, Lewis Bower
In Bucharest, the New Zealander took his third victory of the season while Ronan Augé got his first podium of the year, and his third top-10 of the week. “The sprint legs were there and have been getting better every stage, so I had some good confidence coming into today,” said Lewis. “This Tour of Romania was an amazing experience, especially since it was my first time there. Securing two stage wins made it even more special. It’s definitely something I won’t forget! Despite only having three riders in the final stage, we played our cards right and made the most of it. No complaints at all, it was just a solid race overall”. “It was a perfect week for the team with these two victories and a few top-10s,” added Ronan. “Unfortunately we had three abandons, but apart from that, the whole team was great and there was great cohesion, especially to position Lewis. Personally, I did a big block of training in the Basque Country before coming, the goal was to perform well here, and we did. It’s really great.”
“We didn’t make the trip for nothing”, Jérôme Gannat
The group’s sports director Jérôme Gannat also showed his satisfaction this Sunday afternoon. “The balance is quite positive with these two victories, another podium spot for Lewis, Ronan’s results (2 and 4, editor’s note), Maxime’s fifth place”, he listed. “We came for the stages because we knew that there were possibilities for Lewis given the field of sprinters. He confirmed it, and Ronan took confidence, as did Maxime. The general classification was unfortunately decided on the first day with this large breakaway, and the top-5 goal could therefore not be achieved. It was the first time for the team in Romania. We almost crossed Europe, it was a big trip on a human and logistical level, and we can say that we didn’t do it for nothing. It is obviously a satisfaction to leave the race with victories and performances in our bags”.
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