True to its racing style, our Team was once again active at the front of the race during the final weekend of the first week. Thibault Guernalec joined Saturday’s breakaway, while Jordan Jegat and Nicolas Breuillard were the main attackers on Sunday.
On Stage 8 from Périgueux to Bergerac, Thibault Guernalec was part of the three-man breakaway. Riding his first Tour de France, he stayed at the front for a big part of the day, before being dropped on the final climb.
On Sunday, despite a stage shortened by almost 30 kilometres, the race was even harder. After 50 kilometres, the bunch had already been reduced to 40 riders, with Jordan Jegat and Nicolas Breuillard still in the lead group.
Jordan then made the day’s decisive 12-rider breakaway but could not follow the attacks of the strongest riders, including Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel. After another fast stage, Nicolas and Jordan finished 8th and 9th. It was Nicolas’s first Tour de France top-10 finish in his debut appearance at the race.
Before Stage 10 from Aurillac to Le Lioran, our expert Tony Gallopin looked back at the first week :
We’re very happy with the team’s attitude. We want to stay true to our values by racing with ambition and attacking whenever we can. The riders have fully committed to that approach. We know our strengths, and we believe our chance will come if we keep racing the same way. We also want to thank the staff for their great work, especially in the very hot conditions we’ve faced since the start of the Tour.
From Aurillac on Tuesday to Plateau de Solaison next Sunday, our squad will have more opportunities to race aggressively. The goal remains the same : Win a stage.
