Niklas Larsen Garde La Main

It all started with a dazzling speed followed by a brutal stop. From the start in Montlivault, the peloton drove more than 50 an hour on a course as flat as trampling. It could not be otherwise on this second short step (134 km) promised to sprinters. The backpackers and the few candidates for the Throne of King Larsen, sovereign the day before on the slopes of Carmel, had no other choice than to get started with the fight.

Three runners transported to the hospital

In Crouy, a stone’s throw from the Sprint of the famous kilometer 41, we saw the Danes of Danes to be very small at the tail of a platoon in Indian line where it rubbed hard to make a place. What was to happen happened three kilometers further. Two falls in less than 500 m sent part of the peloton on the ground and three runners at the hospital in Blois. Victims of trauma and fractures, Dylan Duran, Tijmen Eising and Luke Verburg left the TLC on ambulance. According to the protocol, the race was neutralized. The peloton, at the stop three good quarters of an hour, left full gas for a new stage from the Chambord park less than 100 terminals of the finish. This was worth waiting for the 14,000 spectators massaged on the 12.6 km circuit of Mont-Parn-Épan-Chambord to travel four times. As soon as it was restarted, two Germans had made themselves the beautiful.

Nicolas Vogondy: “The TLC is very often played in the Friday stage”

Silas Koech (Team Lotto) and Jon Knolle (national team) then made a sacred number to repel the inclinations of the third hour counters (Benjamin Marais, Acke Dahblom, Storm Ingebrigtsen and Finn Crockett) and a peloton still as vigilant. “It was a bit crazywill tell later the hero of the day before Louis Hardouin after having saved his second place for a second. We went from 500 watts to 150 without counting the stop and the falls to avoid. »»

As Mont-près-Chambord approaches, success will smile at three daring. There was Boris Romers leader of a Metec team there who really has a face. But also Axel Habert, the fiery foal of Nicolas Vogondy Mentor of the young Attria-Montluçon team. “He knows the race and the Loir-et-Cher roads perfectly, entrusted the Allier puncturer on arrival. It motivates us. »» The third was none other than Tim Marsman, the Dutch winner of the 2023 edition, who had put the nose at the entrance window to come back to the big door in the final.

Crank part and mano a mano

It was therefore a quintet of rollers that led the dance at the first pass on the line with fifteen seconds ahead of a pack launched in a ruthless hunt. The crank part of five against a hundred soon turned to the mano a mano between unleashed marsman and the umbrella jersey from all sides. The difference climbed to reach 36 seconds at 5 km from the goal. But the Danish is due to his crown. Similarly avoiding a new massive fall near the red flame, it reduced the gap to reasonable proportions. The peloton failed 12 small seconds from the good breakaway set to the sprint by the powerful Koech in front of the impressive Marsman and the amazing Habert.
Expelling since Blois’ departure, Larsen has always had the effect on opponents returned to a dozen under the minute in the suitcases. But Nicolas Vogondy knows music. “” The TLC is very often played in the Friday stage, everything is still possible. »»