In Les Herbiers, on Sunday, Stefan Küng put a victorious end to his 2024 season. As in 2021 and 2022, the Swiss rider dominated the Chrono des Nations, and therefore remains undefeated in the event with three victories in three participations. Over the 45 kilometres of the route he got the better of Jay Vine by a handful of seconds, and therefore scored his third win of the year, and the fifteenth for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team.
Two years after his last participation in the Chrono des Nations, Stefan Küng was back this Sunday in Les Herbiers to try to reclaim his crown, which Joshua Tarling took in 2023. “I had given my agreement to the organization a month ago,” said the Swiss man. “It wasn’t extremely easy to get back on track after the world championships, but I’m a man of my word and I wanted to finish the season in style. Yet, in order to do that, I also had to prepare well. It’s a time trial that suits me well, and it’s the only one-day event for specialists apart from the championships. So it’s also up to us, the specialists, to come and honour this event.” The route, meanwhile, was similar to the one he had covered in 2022, when he won by two seconds against Tobias Foss. A little over 45 kilometres were on the menu. “The conditions were really good,” said Benoît Vaugrenard. “It was almost 20 degrees this afternoon, which is great conditions for a time trial in October. As usual, the course was never very hard but never flat either. You always need to push. It was a route for specialists, and like every year, it was a close call at the end”.
“Stefan once again showed how reliable he is”, Benoît Vaugrenard
At the first checkpoint after ten kilometres, Stefan Küng, who was the last rider to start, took third place, five seconds behind the leader Mikkel Bjerg. However, in the middle section, the Swiss rouleur proved to be the strongest and came to the second checkpoint, located at km 34.5, with a lead of seven seconds over his closest rival, Jay Vine. In the last ten kilometres, the Groupama-FDJ rider was able to remain in the lead, and finally took victory by five seconds over the Australian, after a tough ride. “I’m happy with my performance today, I was able to manage the effort well”, commented Stefan. “Stefan had the advantage to know the course by heart”, added Benoît. “That obviously played a role. When it comes down to very little, to knowing the route quite well is a big advantage. Beyond that, he’s still got his good form of the Vuelta, and he really masters this type of long effort. He also and once again showed how reliable he is. We can always count on him. It was not easy, because after having competed in the Vuelta, followed by the European championship and then the world championships at home, he could have had a decompression. It would have been normal, but he managed to stay motivated to compete in this Chrono des Nations and win it.”
“It’s always good to finish on a good note”, Stefan Küng
Thanks to his third win of the year, the third against the clock, the 30-year-old rider also allowed Groupama-FDJ to reach the fifteen-win mark. “It’s always good to finish with a victory and end the season on a good note,” he said. “It’s good for me, and good for the team. It was a long and demanding season, with big goals throughout the year. There were some great things, but there were also more difficult moments with the approach of the Tour which was complicated, and which impacted my entire summer until the Olympic Games. I got back to my best level on the Vuelta, and finally took this victory on a Grand Tour. It’s rather a good season. To be able to perform well on all the events is not the simplest thing either. I’m not Pogacar, but I always give my all.” “It’s an important victory for him, because it was his last race of the season and it’s always good for morale to finish with a victory”, Benoît concluded. “It allows you to go on vacation with peace of mind and satisfaction. It’s also a nice return on an investment for the team and Wilier with regard to Supersonica SLR.”
The Groupama-FDJ season will not end until next week, however, with the Giro del Veneto and the Veneto Classic on Wednesday and Sunday.
