European followers of Team TotalEnergies have every reason to start the week with a smile this Monday morning. The six-rider squad competing in Japan wrapped up the Tour de Kyushu in style!
The first two stages had not gone the team’s way. The entire squad was determined to leave nothing to regret on this third and final stage and to give everything to turn the race around.
After a relatively quiet start, the climb of Kuroshio Road, at the 70 km mark, gave the team an opportunity to make a major tactical move. With all six riders at the front, the team split the peloton apart. Jordan Jegat was then the only rider able to break clear. He spent a long time leading the race alone before being caught with 11 km remaining.
Although the move did not succeed, the Team’s riders continued to launch attacks in the closing kilometres, but to no avail. Baptiste Vadic was the first to launch the final sprint before being caught. Alexandre Delettre then finished the job, securing second place for the team.
Consistently finishing in the top 15 across all three stages, the Gonesse native claimed third place overall in the Japanese race. Jordan Jegat’s sixth place and Thomas Bonnet’s 12th place also helped the team leave the event with the best team award.
On Sunday, a largely unchanged squad will line up for the Japan Cup, a one-day race held on a less rolling circuit, where Nicolas Breuillard will replace Émilien Jannière.
It is therefore in Japan that Émilien’s journey with us comes to an end. Having progressed through CREF Vendée Cyclisme and Vendée U before spending four seasons with the professional team, our Vendée-born sprinter will be moving on to new horizons in 2027. Everyone at the team wishes him all the best for the next chapter of his career.
