cold snap for Tourangeau Thibaud Gruel, who was unable to follow the best in Zurich

Touraine’s Thibaud Gruel hoped to do well during the U23 world cycling championships, this Friday in Zurich, Switzerland.

But in a long race of 174 km, particularly trying and complicated by the rain, with wet roads and very cool temperatures, the young Frenchman gave up 50 km from the finish when the “strong guys” made the test tougher. at the forefront.

Even Ewen Costiou, the other tricolor who also had ambitions, got stuck almost at the same time, leaving the Swiss Jan Christen, impressive in front, to gradually widen the gap, alone in the lead, in front of thirteen other pursuers (including the big names Blackmore, Widar and Del Toro), without the French therefore.

Pushed by his public, Jan Christen held on until 10 km from the finish, before being caught under the leadership of the Belgian Widar. But it was the duo Niklas Behrens, the German, and Martin Svrcek, the Slovak, who took the opportunity to break away at the junction.

Victory was going to be decided in a sprint between the two men and the imposing 1.95m German showed his power to cross the line as winner, and thus succeed the Frenchman Axel Laurance on the list of winners.

The Belgian Alex Segaert took 3^e place ahead of the Swiss Jan Christen. Far, very far ahead of the first tricolor Ewen Costiou, 26^e five minutes behind Behrens, while Thibaud Gruel finished in 37th^e place, more than twelve minutes from the winner.

> Mountain biking on Sunday in Ballan-Miré. Usually organized in June, the XCO Ballan-Miré has been postponed, due to work, to this Sunday, September 29. The route traced mainly in the undergrowth is essentially the same as that of previous editions. Around fifty mountain bikers are involved. Departures, impasse de La Taillerie: from U7 to U 15 at 10 a.m., U17 at 1 p.m., U19 and over at 3 p.m.