As the team enters the home stretch of its final season, Jean-René Bernaudeau’s men will be in Vendée last Sunday (01/10), on the team’s home turf, to contest the famous local race: the Tour de Vendée.
The stakes
With other teams neck-and-neck for the precious UCI points that qualify them for some of the top races, the pressure is all the greater for some of the riders competing in a home race. This is particularly the case for Fabien Grellier, Emilien Jeannière and Fabien Grolier, who has come straight from the training centre as a trainee.
The aim is to finish well, if not to win.
This race is also an event with the presence of Peter Sagan, whose track record and reputation are indescribable. The three-time Slovakian world champion, seven-time green jersey winner in the Tour de France and holder of multiple victories in various WorldTour races, will be taking his leave of Vendée for one last road race.
The results
It was a fairly quiet day on the roads of the Vendée, with a course of over 200 kilometres. The tension and pace picked up in the final laps, culminating in a final sprint.
At the front for Team TotalEnergies, Sandy Dujardin, Jason Tesson and Peter Sagan found themselves at the head of the dwindling peloton. It was in the final metres that the sprint began, with Peter Sagan as the pilot fish, took Sandy Dujardin along before getting up. The Frenchman, who had shone in the European Championships with his fighting spirit, finished on the podium in an honourable third place, while his Slovakian team-mate finished 9th.
Jason Tesson finished 11th.
Thank you Peter Sagan
The entire TotalEnergies team would like to express its sincere thanks to the peloton’s rock star, Peter Sagan. Peter, who arrives at the end of the 2021 season, has brought all his experience to the group and the team. A true model of success in terms of its history, the Team is once again underlining the professionalism of this immense champion who has left his mark on the history of cycling.
Dakujem Peter.
