Cycling (Hard Classic train, Souvenir Antonin Landré): A Téo Goisnard (Besançon) the stage, to Mathias Ribeiro da Cruz the victory

The double French champion of the time trial managed to manage the gap on the two escapes, Téo Goisnard, the stage winner and Alexandre Martins (Villefranche). He won the hard train with 15 seconds.

Our analysis, all rankings and our photo report.This last stage of the Hard Classic Souvenir Antonin Landré train, between Essertenne and the Breuiln maintained all its promises. Attacks, counterattacks, racing strategies, alliances too and suspense.
For about 30 km the leader in the general classification, Mathias Ribeiro Da Cruz (VC Corbas) had to chase, with his teammates, two dangerous fugitives who tried to delight his jersey. As in the morning in team time, the Lyonnais showed their quality of roller and they managed to contain the ardors of Villefranche, who had three runners about a minute from the leader. Not simple, but successful exam, with mention.
The general winner built the final victory in the morning in the time trial and he managed, serenely his lead. Villefranche tried everything, but had to recognize the superiority of the Grand Routier de Corbas, not a double champion of France by chance.
Rain, not rain? The question was on the lips of the whole caravan of this magnificent race. The thunderstorm had hit the creusotine region an hour before departure, cleaning the roads and lowering the temperature: two advantages for the participants.
This rain also cleaned the dreaded technical part, the Strada Bianca, sorry, the white path, making it much less dusty, therefore less slippery. This portion, placed on the Chemin du Vieux Moulin in Saint-Firmin, along an arm of Mesvrin, was the meeting, programmed, of the fight. Villefranche was going to challenge the jersey to Mathias Ribeiro Da Cruz, and it was the place chosen for the duel, between the clay dirt and the bump to reach the “little bouvier”, before extending the efforts on the village of Saint-Firmin. Promises maintained.
However, it is Dario Lavergne (CR4C) who will be the first host of the day, on the first difficulty of the stage, the rise of the Morambeau. But the first true offensive will come from Pierre-Louis Durand (VC Dole) who will leave alone in the descent of Granges. First attack, headed by a group of 17 runners including Lucas Auclerc (VC Dole), blue jersey of the sprints (he announced it the day before), will make the 17th km sprint in honor of his missing boyfriend, Antonin Landré.
Dôle had ants in the legs and Pierre-Louis Durand insisted to leave, still alone, before the first passage of the White path and his tough ride from the Moulins chemin. The Jurassic will count up to 15 ” in advance on a largely skimmed peloton.
The second passage of this terrible portion was going to decide on the race and the stage. Villefranche was to attack, Villefranche attacked where it was necessary, at the exit of the White Chemin. Alexandre Martins, immediately followed by Téo Goisnard (AC Besançon) took off with a violent and effective attack. The gap quickly took around thirty seconds, then reached the fifty seconds. It was serious, we had been warned.
Behind, the leader, Mathias Ribeiro Da Cruz had to react, complicated on the slope portion of the Moulin path, easier on the wider roads, where it rolls quickly and complicated because the friends of the escaped.
Helped by all his team, but under the eyes, interested, of the teammates of Alexandre Martins, the red jersey judiciously let the storm pass to, then, master the gap: “I was afraid, when I saw my teammates with me, I reassured myself, I was going to manage. How do you become a chef, chef?
The end of the race was going to be summed up in this controlled pursuit, the two escapes will have a maximum of 55 ”, the 1’09 which separated Ribeiro from Martins. It only remained to distribute the prices, the stage victory for Téo Goisnard who beats his friend of the day, Alexandre Martins, who will console himself with the polka dot jersey of the best climber he takes to his teammate, Gabriel Salon.
The Hard Classic train, certainly, returns to the strongest of the weekend, its time and its management will have been enough to stop all, however serious hints of the competitors.

Vincent BRUCCI

(Photos Manon Bollery)

Alexandre Martins (VC Villefranche-Beaujolais)second in the stage, second as general and best climber: “We knew that the key moment was the white path, I tried in the first pass, without success, we organized with my team to better place ourselves, knowing that I climb well. I go out with Téo Goisnard in the second pass, we quickly gave up, the goal was to trap the leader to the general. He missed 15 seconds at the end. Honestly, with Téo Goisnard we believed in it, we were riding in block, I even told him that I left him the step win if he wanted it. He missed it, too bad. I take the climber jersey, I would have preferred Gabriel (living room) to the custody, but to insure, I went to the top of the best climbers. »»
Mathias Ribeiro da Cruz (Corbas Lyon Métropole)Winner of the General: “I confirm that I am a double champion of France elite time of the time trial. On the race, in the first sector of the White Chemin, we managed to control the peloton, in the second pass, we were barred by the teammates of Besançon in this same passage. The two escapes therefore quickly took the field, behind, I reacted in the bump, without success, fortunately my teammates helped me well, they all cooperated by being “skin” in turn. In the last round, after they gave everything, I do a time trial to maintain the gap. I was still aware of the differences, my DS informed me, it was enough for me to manage. I panicked a little at the end of the white path, but when my teammates returned, we quickly secured the situation. We knew that the first step was to be managed as a day race, I was only 6 seconds to the general so we were going to take the jersey in the time trial. The goal of my season is the French time trial championship, once again, in an elite. I finished my engineering studies, I work for the Decathlon AG2R team as a performance engineer, so I have less time for online races in an elite, so I focus on individual efforts. With this second victory in open 1, I will request to run in elite. »»
Lucas Auclerc (VC Dole)Blue jersey of sprints: “I keep the jersey, that was the goal, the team did a big job for me to go to the first round. I sprint 17 km, we did a big job. We tried to place Thibault (Regnault) for the general, but it was complicated, the two escaped were really strong. A jersey is already good. »»
Téo Goisnard (AC Besançon), winner of the stage : “We knew there were things to do, we did not focus too much on the general, there was too much gap, the objective was the stage and to do everything with the team to make the difference at the exit of the white path. We make a beautiful baroud of honor for two, by hurting ourselves, by getting perfectly. Behind there was a big engine, the leader, capable of recovering a lot of time on the dish, so I am very happy with this victory. »»
Gabriel Salon (VC Villefranche-Beaujolais), ex-leader, fourth to the general: “In the second passage of the white path, with the riders of Dole, I made ahead to create the break and let the two escapes go, we knew that the leader was going to be trapped, we checked the guys from Corbas so that our guy takes sufficient advance. Unfortunately, that was not enough, we will have tried. »»