Between February 8th and 11th, seven of our riders were in action in the south of France on the Tour de La Provence. The weather conditions were often difficult, but the team showed its fighting spirit by taking the offensive on many occasions. Now it’s time to review this 2024 edition.
To get things off to a smooth start, the 119 starters were given a short 5km time trial as a prologue. On a flat route in Marseille, Valentin Ferron recorded the team’s best performance, finishing 23 seconds behind Mads Pedersen, the winner of the day.
The following day, the peloton started from Aix-en-Provence in dreadful weather conditions. Thomas Bonnet was quickly in the breakaway with 5 other riders. In the lead group for over 140km, our rider was finally caught with 5km to go. Nevertheless, the French puncher demonstrated great things during this stage, displaying an irreproachable state of mind. The finish was finally decided by a sprint, with Sandy Dujardin crossing the line in 7th position.
With a hilly route and the weather as capricious as ever, the second stage also promises to be a real battle for the Team. Unstoppable Thomas Bonnet was again in the breakaway, but was ultimately forced to give up, as was Valentin Ferron. At the end of the stage, Mattéo Vercher finished in 16th position.
For the final stage, riders have a longer, flatter route ahead of them, with the finish once again likely to be a sprint. After Thomas Bonnet on the previous days, it’s another Team rider who tries his luck in the breakaway of the day: Fabien Grellier. The 29-year-old spent almost 130km at the front of the race, before a sprint finish in Arles. Sandy Dujardin once again finished in the Top 10, in 8th position. The French sprinter ended the week in 17th position overall.
The Tour de La Provence was definitely a tough one for the team. Nevertheless, the team performed well during this 2024 edition, with several riders showing initiative and fighting spirit in breakaways. The Team will be back in action in the south of France shortly, with the Classic Var and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes.
