The Groupama-FDJ cycling team experienced a day with mixed feelings this Tuesday on Tirreno-Adriatico. In a second stage made for sprinters, the French team lost David Gaudu forty kilometers from the finish. The climber was forced to abandon after his fourth crash in fifteen days. On a happier note, Paul Penhoët took an excellent third place during the final sprint, especially after a great job by Clément Russo. He thus secured his first podium in the WorldTour.
In the aftermath of the usual time trial at Lido di Camaiore, the equally usual second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico took the riders from one end of Tuscany to the other on Tuesday, towards Follonica. A sprint was anticipated, and as a consequence, Manuel Tarozzi was the only man to break away. Two riders still joined him shortly after the halfway point, but the scenario of the day still proved crystal-clear. “It really was a long day,” said Paul Penhoët. “It was quite calm for a long time, and as often in these cases, it became much more nervous in the last hour of racing,” Thierry Bricaud specified. Unfortunately, Groupama-FDJ once again paid the price for this increasing tension, as David Gaudu found himself on the ground forty kilometres from the finish and was unable to keep on going. “Some riders brake hard in front of him, and he was hit from behind,” explained Thierry. “He’s having a really bad period for two weeks. He was there to see what his winter work would have brought, to start a momentum, and this is a new setback. There should be nothing broken, we’ll know more tomorrow, but it is still annoying. It is the day’s bad news, both for David and the team”.
“I could rely on a super Clément”, Paul Penhoët
The stage continued without the Breton climber, but the nervousness did not leave the peloton. A sharp acceleration clearly stretched out the pack fifteen kilometres from the finish, before the final fight began ahead of the sprint. “It was really a question of positioning today because the last lap was very tortuous,” Paul said. “It’s really cool that I could count on Lorenzo and Valentin who did a great job. It was nice to see that the whole team was focused on the objective we had this morning.” After this initial work, which lasted until the last three kilometres, the young sprinter found himself with his lead-out man Clément Russo. “I could rely on a super Clément,” he said. “We didn’t make any mistakes in positioning. It was perfect. We had seen that we really had to take the last corner in the top five if we wanted to be able to sprint. We were a bit in the middle with 1,5k to go, around 20th position, but we came back up at the right time, and on the right side. Clément made his effort on the left, at the same time as Visma. We really had to fight for our place, I stayed with Clément, and he dropped me off with about 600 meters to go just behind the Lidl-Trek train. It was a textbook execution.”
“That will give him confidence,” Thierry Bricaud
Yet, Paul Penhoët had to fight until the last corner, located at 300 metres before being able to make his final effort. “I got a bit tossed around before the final bend, but I quickly managed to set things right by taking the inside,” he said. “I came out with a bit more speed and was able to launch my sprint straight away. That’s what I wanted to do. I knew it was long, but we had to do a long sprint today. I said this morning that I didn’t want to have any regrets, and I think I don’t.” In fourth position at the start of the final straight, the Frenchman was able to gain a place to secure a nice podium, while Jonathan Milan claimed a clear win. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see that the wheel of fortune is turning a little and that I am able to sprint again,” he added. “It’s still a good day for me and a good way to get back on track.” “The day’s good news is that Paul did a great sprint, it will give him confidence, and he needed it,” said Thierry. “Clément did a very good job, as did Lorenzo. He was ideally placed, and he knew what he had to do. In the end, it’s a mixed day.” Romain Grégoire crossed the line without a hitch and is still in 23rd place overall. “Tomorrow, the final is a little hard towards the finish, but we can still expect a big-group sprint,” concluded Thierry.
