In a messy and big bunch sprint in Ardooie this Friday, on stage 3 of the Renewi Tour, Paul Penhoët was unable to fight his way into the top positions, as he did on the opening stage. While Jonathan Milan took another win, the Groupama-FDJ sprinter had to settle for fifteenth place at the finish. A similar day awaits the riders on Saturday before the queen stage on Sunday.
Between Blankenberge and Ardooie, the elevation gain was insignificant on Friday on the third stage of Renewi Tour, and the day therefore perfectly suited the sprinters, who are numerous on this 2024 edition. “The day was simple, as we expected,” commented Frédéric Guesdon. “We still wanted to be careful because there is always a bit of wind in this region, but a breakaway of five went early on, then the sprinters’ teams and Lotto-Dstny controlled. We then got to the finishing circuit, where we always had to be in position. There were some strong accelerations, and it was better not to hang around in the back.” The peloton entered the circuit halfway through the race and then had to complete five laps of around sixteen kilometres. The lead group including Jordy Bouts, Axel Huens (TDT-Unibet), Aaron Van Poucke and Ward Vanhoof (Flanders-Baloise) and Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step) was caught only on the final lap. Vangheluwe even managed to stay away until the final five kilometers, but the growing nervousness within the bunch soon put an end to his hopes.
“We are here to improve”, Frédéric Guesdon
“We really got into it with ten kilometres to go”, added Frédéric. “We first put the rouleurs to work alongside Paul, then the sprint train. However, they had a bit of trouble finding each other, which is also understandable given the very high level in the sprints here”. The young French rider therefore constantly remained slightly in the back. At the flamme rouge, he was still in the middle of the peloton, and he was unfortunately unable to get out of it. “He wasn’t really able to do his sprint”, confirmed Frédéric. “He was a bit boxed in, and he stayed behind until the end”. This earned him a fifteenth place at the finish. “It was a bit messier than the first day”, added Frédéric. “His positioning wasn’t so good today, and you pay for it right away. If you look at the fourteen riders in front of him, they are all sprinters, which confirms that the field is strong. We are here to improve and that’s still quite new for Paul”. Jonathan Milan claimed victory, and another sprint is looming tomorrow in Aalter. “There’s a good chance it will be the same scenario as today”, concluded Frédéric. “It will be a flat sprint and we will have to be really well positioned. Against these sprinters, it’s difficult if you have a head start, so you definitely don’t want to be one step behind.”
