The nice history between “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ and Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 continues. Three years after Romain Grégoire’s victory, and one year after Brieuc Rolland’s fifth-place finish, it was Maxime Decomble who left his mark on this major U23 race on Saturday. In contention for victory until the very last moments, the 19-year-old ultimately secured a convincing fourth place, confirming a very solid first half of the season.
A week before their “elders”, the riders of the U23 category took on the Ardennes hills of Liège-Bastogne-Liège this Saturday, through a 174-kilometer course featuring seven listed climbs, including the Wanne-Stockeu-Haute Levée sequence and the iconic Côte de la Redoute. “Initially, we had two cards with Baptiste [Grégoire] and me,” said Maxime Decomble. “Unfortunately, he crashed at the start and after that, he never felt good again.” “Like in Paris-Roubaix, it really started badly for Baptiste,” added Jérôme Gannat. “It’s a shame because he’s a rider who could have been valuable in the final and for the team’s strength.” Despite this early setback, “La Conti” remained attentive at the start of the race and managed to move up the road thanks to Rémi Daumas. “The goal was for him to be in the breakaway, because he’s doing quite good in this kind of exercise,” Jérôme explained. “They ended up being seven up front, but they never took a huge lead as the maximum gap was three minutes.” “Thanks to him, we were a step ahead, so from a confidence point of view, we were off to a good start,” Maxime added.
“I saw myself winning”, Maxime Decomble
However, Rémi Daumas only had a margin of one minute and thirty seconds as he approached the first climbs with 100 kilometres remaining. “The gap reduced very quickly because everyone wanted to be positioned,” Jérôme recounted. “Rémi went alone on the Côte de Wanne, managed to pass Stockeu with a small lead, then got caught in Stavelot.” “Reef and Eliott worked well before the first climbs, which allowed me to be well placed,” added Maxime. “It went really fast in Stockeu and then it exploded in the Haute Levée. I initially went away with eight riders, but some riders gradually came back and a peloton of forty riders got back together, with Rémi, Max [Bock] and Eliott [Boulet] also there.” After passing the Côte de La Vecquée, everyone headed towards the key point of the day: the Côte de la Redoute (1.5 km at 9.2%), located thirty-seven kilometres from the finish line. “Once again, Eliott did a huge effort and positioned me really well,” specified Maxime. “Jarno Widar attacked from the bottom, he went on his own, but I had really good legs.” The young Frenchman therefore joined a six-man chasing group, which, after a twenty-kilometre pursuit, managed to catch the Belgian leader.
Seven riders entered the final ten kilometers fighting for the win, and they stayed together until the bottom of the côte de Bolland (700m at 8%), six kilometers from the finish line. “Widar attacked again, four guys took a small gap, but we came back with two kilometres to go with the UAE rider, and I took advantage of the speed to attack straight away,” Maxime said. “It was a good move, but they still came back to me.” Jarno Widar launched his final attack immediately afterward, at the flamme rouge, and flew to victory. Maxime Decomble crossed the finish line eight seconds later, in contention for third place, but was beaten by Simone Gualdi. “Of course, I saw myself winning, especially when I attacked,” Maxime confessed. “I think it could have worked. In the end, the strongest won, but I’m disappointed because I think I could have taken that podium. That being said, I gave it my all in the final and I have no regrets. This fourth place means a lot to me because it was really a goal that my coach and I had set for myself, and so I’m really happy to have lived up to the expectations and to have been one of the best today. It gives me confidence and I hope it will continue like this.”
“When the race is hard, he’s up there”, Jérôme Gannat
After his thirteenth place in U23 Paris-Roubaix last week, and his multiple noteworthy performances with the WorldTeam earlier this year, Maxime Decomble has, in any case, confirmed his new status. “We’ve felt that he was gaining momentum lately,” said Jérôme. “He’s been very consistent since the start of the season. He was always where we expected him. We feel he’s taken a step up from last year and is constantly improving. He really confirms that when the race is hard, he’s up there, among the very best U23 riders. He also benefited throughout the day from the work of his teammates.” Maxime Decomble also emphasized the same thing in conclusion: “I really thank the team who did a super job, and it really put me on the right track. When the boys work for you, you really want to do well for them. We rode more as a team than other times, where it could have been a weak point. Even Baptiste, who crashed, did a big pull before being dropped. Everyone played their part and I’m also happy to finish fourth for them.” Eliott Boulet also outsprinted a small group for fifteenth place, a week after his seventh place in U23 Paris-Roubaix. Next up for “La Conti”: le Tour de Bretagne.
