A year after finishing second, Romain Grégoire finally got his victory in the Faun-Ardèche Classic. After a great team race on Saturday, and after putting in a lot of effort in the last thirty kilometres, the young Frenchman claimed victory in Guilherand-Granges, collecting his very first victory of the season. This is the second one for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team in 2025.
Fifth in 2023, second in 2024, Romain Grégoire was lining up for only one thing in the Faun-Ardèche Classic on Saturday afternoon. “After his great Tour of the Algarve, he came here with high ambitions,” introduced Yvon Caër. “He put pressure on himself, and so did we. We wanted to take our responsibilities for a rider who keeps on growing. We had a great team on paper, but for us there was no doubt: it was all for Romain.” That’s why Groupama-FDJ quickly took control of the peloton on the hilly course around Guilherand-Granges. “The team had complete confidence in me in this race, they were all around me,” confided Romain. “It could put a bit of pressure on me, but I like racing like this. It really gives me confidence, and I feel indebted, so it gives me that little extra to push myself even deeper. We took our responsibilities all day. I was even afraid halfway through the race that we were doing too much, but no, the guys held on.” At mid-race, the young rider from Besançon could still count on all of his teammates at the head of the pack, then he was attentive on the descent of Saint Romain de Lerps sixty kilometres from the finish, where some splits occurred.
“I won, and that’s what matters”, Romain Grégoire
The peloton more or less bunched up after the second time on the finish line, with thirty-five kilometres to go, while the morning breakaway had only a very small gap left. The Mur de Cormas (2 km at 8%) and the climb of Saint Romain de Lerps (6 km at 7%) then came on their way, which meant the leading group was caught while Romain Grégoire proved extremely active. The 22-year-old made several attacks himself, but also followed most of his rivals’ ones. “I wanted to make the difference because I felt good, but I think I wasted a bit of energy for nothing because the headwind was blocking the race a bit,” he said. “Maybe I should have been a bit more patient.” “There was also a high level, which meant it ended up being more tactical,” Yvon added. Lorenzo Fortunato took advantage of the big favourites marking each other to come over the last big climb with a lead of around twenty seconds. “However, there were teams represented by two riders, so we knew they were going to pull to get back,” added Yvon.
Groupama-FDJ also found itself in this situation, since Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet came back to give a hand to his young leader. The climber thus tried to lead out his puncher teammate at the bottom of the Val d’Enfer hill (1.5 km at 10%), with about seven kilometres to go. “Luckily he was there,” claimed Romain. With a handful of riders, Romain Grégoire then got closer to the leading riders, before twelve riders got back together following the last downhill, three kilometres from the line. “We didn’t manage to make a difference on the climbs, and teams were leading out for the sprint, so there was no point in anticipating,” said Romain. The young man therefore tried to position himself for this small-group finish. Yet, he didn’t have to deliver his best sprint to cross finish line victoriously a few moments later, after several of his competitors took the wrong route. “They turned right at 350 metres while we had already crossed the finish line three times,” he said. “I think they weren’t clear-headed anymore. Fortunately, I was careful. I knew it was straight ahead.” Although he did celebrate his first victory of the season, Romain Grégoire admitted to a “somewhat strange feeling” at his arrival: “It’s a bit strange not to have won in the sprint, but it’s part of racing. I won, and that’s what matters!”
“We can hope for anything”, Yvon Caër
Once the adrenaline had passed, the Groupama-FDJ puncher was more able to fully enjoy a well-deserved victory, regardless. “It’s a race that I really had in mind” he said. “I’ve really wanted to win it for a few years. It’s done, so I’m obviously very happy. I also have to thank the team for the work they’ve done. I really owe them this victory. And then, this is my first win of the year! It’s a relief. Whether for me or for the team, it can start a very nice momentum. I hope we’ll keep on going after this good start to the season.” “Romain has reached a milestone,” said Yvon. “It’s good that it paid off today, because he’s a young man who provides himself with the means to succeed, who is very demanding of himself, and who can do very good things at the international level with a bit more confidence. He also has a very busy schedule ahead of him and that is why he will be resting tomorrow. If he is at this level on the Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo, we can hope for anything.”
