At the top of the Alto do Malhão, the end of the closing time trial of the Volta ao Algarve this year, Romain Grégoire made quite an impression on Sunday. After a superb effort up the climb, the young French rider reversed the trend against his main rivals and claimed fourth place, twenty-nine seconds behind Jonas Vingegaard. Thanks to this performance, the Groupama-FDJ rider also gained six places overall and therefore finished just off the podium, in fourth position. A great way to start the season.
There were just twenty kilometres left to go to complete this 2025 edition of the Volta ao Algarve. This season, the usual uphill finish in Malhão and the time trial were combined in a single stage; a race against the clock with a two-kilometre climb averaging 9% as a conclusion. “It was quite a specific and hard time trial”, pointed out Nicolas Boisson, the team’s coach. “The first part was challenging, with few moments of recovery and quite a few small hills that hurt the legs. Then, it was a final for punchers-climbers. If you weren’t at 100%, it was a time trial where you could very quickly lose time. In short, it was a time trial for strong men”. Romain Grégoire, in the running for a good general classification, was expected on the starting ramp shortly after 5 p.m., while his teammates Rémi Cavagna and Stefan Küng took the start about forty minutes earlier. “They did well on the first part, but the climb proved quite hard for them”, added Nicolas. Although they both made it into the provisional top 10 at the finish, they gradually dropped back as the GC contenders came to the line.
“Changing bikes was a wise choice”, Nicolas Boisson
Romain Grégoire set decent times at the first two intermediate check points (20th and 15th, editor’s note), before tackling the final climb. “In terms of feelings and from what I saw on the power meter, I could say I was going fast”, said the young man. However, he went on to complete the last two kilometres without the power meter. “We had chosen to change bikes”, explained Nicolas. “We had already done a simulation the day before Algarve and another one this morning. I think it was a wise choice because the change took us seven seconds, then he got a good push, so he hardly lost any time”. “It wasn’t worth it for everyone to change bikes, but I personally feel much more comfortable on a road bike than on a time trial bike, so I thought it was important to do it,” Romain explained. He was right to do so. While he was late compared to his GC rivals at the bottom, the Groupama-FDJ rider made a sensational ride up the Alto do Malhão (the second fastest, editor’s note), and even set the third provisional time at the finish.
“The week’s balance is very positive,” Romain Grégoire
After him, only Jonas Vingegaard was able to do better. This therefore earned him fourth place on the day, and above all, fourth in the general classification. “This morning, everything was possible in a good way or a bad way,” said Benoît Vaugrenard. “There weren’t big gaps, so we had to do the best possible time trial. And Romain did an amazing time trial, especially with an incredible final climb. Changing bikes was the best solution and he had also worked on it during the training camps with his coach. It paid off and it’s nice to see.”. Right after the finish, Romain Grégoire was still unsure about his performance, but he eventually could express his satisfaction after the official ceremony, where he collected the best young rider’s jersey. “The week’s balance is very positive, in terms of the result and the feelings,” he said. “I came to this race feeling calm and being confident with what I had done this winter. Yet, I needed to prove it, which is always the hardest part of the job. It’s great to immediately translate it with a top-5 here, especially in the time trial that we worked on a lot this winter.” The French puncher will now head to the Boucles Drôme Ardèche, next weekend, with high morale.
