After a very fast and hectic race this Monday on Paris-Troyes, Noah Hobbs managed to take fourth place in the final bunch sprint. Doing so, the young 19-year-old Briton scored his third top-10 of the season.
The race schedule of “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ resumed on Monday with Paris-Troyes. From Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, the riders had to complete 180 kilometres, and the first two thirds of the route were a bit hilly. Some therefore tried to take advantage of this. “The race got off to a flying start,” said Alex Chouffe. “Thibaud [Gruel] found himself in front at first, then Ronan [Augé] joined him a bit later. But when Ronan’s group came back, they were too many in the lead for them to work well together, and the peloton therefore caught them.” This strong break gained up to forty seconds, but everything came back together halfway through the race. “The fight lasted two hours before a group managed to go,” Alex explained. Ten riders then went clear, and although the peloton never gave more than a minute and a half, the chase proved difficult. “In our team, Jens suffered from stomach cramps and Lewis had bronchitis,” explained Alex. “So we raced with two and a half riders since Noah was preserved for the sprint. Compared to certain teams of seven riders, it wasn’t a lot… It was hard for us to control such a fast race.”
“We could hardly hope for such a result”, Alex Chouffe
“La Conti” therefore relied on a few other teams before giving a final push in the last fifteen kilometres, while the breakaway still had a thirty-second lead. “Fortunately there were Thibaud and Ronan in the final, they gave everything to bring the break back,” added Alex. “We only had two men left to pull, but with the help of 2-3 other teams, the peloton could finish for a sprint.” The last attacker was caught just 200 metres before the line by the best sprinters. Noah Hobbs also got around him to grab fourth place. “It was a tough race from start to finish”, commented the young Englishman. “We had to spend some legs to get the last small break back which meant it was going to be tough in the finish, but the team did a good job in getting me on a good wheel for the last kilometre. It was a very hectic sprint, which meant I had to launch earlier than I wanted to. I started to get squeezed into the barrier, so I had to stop and kick again. I saw a little gap on the outside, I had to go for but it was too late to get round into the podium positions. It’s still a decent result which makes it worth it for the team”.
“We still saved the day with this sprint finish, because it was hard all day for us. We could hardly hope for such a result, knowing that we only had three riders capable of fighting up there. I’m satisfied with Thibaud and Ronan. It’s a pity for Noah, because I thought he could have done even better, but there was someone faster today.” The Australian Liam Walsh (Team BridgeLane) won in the streets of Troyes.
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