Romain Grégoire is still very close. Ten days after his second place in the Coppa Agostoni, the French rider took another podium on Wednesday in the Giro del Veneto, the penultimate race of the season for him and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. Among the strongest of the day, the young man was nevertheless unable to avoid a reduced, uphill sprint, where he finally grabbed third place in Vicenza. One last opportunity will be up for grabs on Sunday in the Veneto Classic.
The first stop on the final straight of the season, the Giro del Veneto was a bit of a discovery for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team on Wednesday. Between Verona and Vicenza, 165 kilometres made up the day’s route, more than half of which was on a fifteen-kilometre circuit to be done five times. “The team’s core of the Italian Classics campaign is still there,” Jussi Veikkanen introduced. “And one race particularly left its mark on us in terms of collective performance: the Coppa Agostoni, where Romain finished second behind Hirschi. We wanted to do a similar race, the guys were involved in this strategy, and that’s what we tried to put in place.” Unlike the Coppa Agostoni, however, the first half of the race wasn’t difficult enough to create some action, and so it was first a seven-man breakaway that led the way, around two minutes ahead of the peloton. “When we got to the finishing circuit, it started to rain,” Jussi added. “It was even pouring rain at one point and the race became more selective.” “The race was especially made difficult by the weather,” confirmed Romain Grégoire. “The road was very slippery and we had to be extremely careful.”
“Thibaud is finishing the season in a very good way,” Jussi Veikkanen
The race eventually opened up with these conditions, with about sixty kilometres to go, while the early breakaway was already within reach. “We always tried to be one step ahead, and Rémy and Enzo first started to follow the moves,” said Jussi. “It got harder every time on the climbs, but in the end, it always got back together in the flat part of the circuit.” It was finally in the difficulties of the penultimate lap that things became clearer. UAE Team Emirates team increased the pace, then Thibaud Gruel kept on going, Romain Grégoire followed without trouble, and a leading group of around fifteen men established for a few kilometers. In the descending and flat section of the circuit, a part of the peloton still managed to get back and some thirty riders tackled the last full ascent of Monte Berico fifteen kilometres from the finish. Soon enough, Marc Hirschi put in an acceleration that only Romain Grégoire managed to follow, and the two men first escaped together before being joined by Samuele Battistella and Filippo Zana.
“The whole team was very active in the final,” commented Romain. “In the last two laps, I went twice with Hirschi, but I kind of knew that it would come back together and end with a small group sprint. So I tried to save a bit of energy for this last effort.” “The circuit’s design meant it was difficult to stay away,” added Jussi. “Romain went away with the big favourite but it didn’t pay off. The lack of collaboration also played a role because the Italians didn’t really pull up front, and that disorganised the group a bit.” Around fifteen riders therefore got back together for the final, on the flat, where a few attacks occurred before the last 800 metres uphill. “Thibaud did a super ride, and he worked hard in the final up until the last kilometre to help Romain,” emphasised Jussi. “He’s finishing the season in a very good way. It’s nice to see that he’s still up there in races of this level. When you’re present like he was up until the last kilometre, it’s worth gold for the leaders. It’s very promising for the future.” “Thibaud did a great job in the final to put me in a good position, unfortunately I came up short,” added Romain.
“There’s still one chance”, Romain Grégoire
Although he started his sprint from far to try to get rid of the fastest riders in the group, the Frenchman was nevertheless unable to match Corbin Strong. On the line, Xandro Meurisse also passed him for second place. “It’s difficult to analyse in the heat of the moment,” he said in the evening. “I have to watch the sprint again to understand if I could have done better or if two riders were just stronger. I’m obviously disappointed because I’ve come close for a while. I know my legs are good, but the victory is not coming. However, I’m satisfied with the team’s work and my feelings. There’s still one chance on Sunday. It’s not over!” “Of course, Romain wants to win and to finish the season in style,” Jussi added. “That’s what was written on the briefing board in the morning: to finish the season with a well-deserved victory. He deserves it, for sure, but maybe the course wasn’t selective enough. Sunday, the circuit is a little bit harder. Maybe it will be our day. He will come with a revenge mindset.”
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