The post-race interviews are very similar to those of the day before on the French side. The Espoirs suffered the same weather as the Juniors, but with a very different result. If Paul Seixas had saved a place of honor, this Friday the Espoirs took on water in every sense of the word, with Ewen Costiou as the first tricolor, outside the Top 25 (see ranking). “Frankly, we got hit, it’s a big disappointment”begins the usual runner from Arkéa-B&B Hôtels. “We are disappointed, and I am personally disappointed. I feel sorry for the French Federation. We were the title holders and unfortunately we were unable to assume our status. We didn’t come to do that”adds Thibaud Gruel. The coach, Pierre-Yves Chatelon, is going in the same direction. “The years go by and they are not the same. I don’t blame them because cycling in these conditions is complicated. Today we weren’t able to play”.
“THERE IS NOTHING WRONG”
Like the U19s, the U23s tolerated the catastrophic weather much less well than their opponents, with rain, cold and even five minutes of hail to sprinkle it all in. “It was really cold and I quickly felt that it was going to be complicated. I felt that my body was fighting more against the cold than the effort”reports Ewen Costiou. “We had a big cold snap, I was completely out on the descent, before there were two laps of the race left, it’s the first time it’s done that to me. It was really horrible. We came to do much better and we leave with nothing, it’s sad”adds Thibaud Gruel, who even speaks of “The worst day this season. Usually I like these conditions but here I don’t understand what happened. I couldn’t do anything anymore”.
Pierre-Yves Chatelon, however, was partially hopeful that the race would turn out favorably. “We had a bit of an illusion in the first laps with ten/eleven guys clearing out, with Ewen and Thibaud. Afterwards Ewen suffered a bit technically, he was strong in the bumps but poorly placed on the approach. We get stuck at the end. The cold and the rain were for everyone so there’s not much to say.”. Thibaud Gruel saw the French team’s race plunge. “It quickly broke down. We had a good period but it didn’t last long unfortunately…”. Ewen Costiou then wanted to save the furniture. “I asked Thibaud (Gruel) and Brieuc (Rolland) and neither told me it was good”. And the Breton also only suffered. “It became more and more complicated with the freezing wind and the rain, we were freezing. It was becoming complicated to eat too, nothing was going well”.
“WE SUFFERED THE WHOLE RACE”
In addition to these conditions, certainly identical for the entire peloton, the scenario was not favorable to Ewen Costiou either. “It was unbearable for me, it started again all the time, it came in fits and starts and it quickly put me at a standstill. I’m really not used to this scenario, it was really difficult”. Like his difficulties since the Tour of Italy. “Since my fall, I’ve really struggled to get back to the level I had before the Giro. It’s a bit complicated at a time but I hope it will come back”. Besides the physical, the head didn’t respond either. “There was a bit of pressure at this World Cup, maybe I put too much on myself. However, it’s not as if I wasn’t used to expecting a result”. In the end, Pierre-Yves Chatelon sums up the race of his protégés in one sentence. “We endured the whole race, we were never able to win”.
But with such a team on paper, the coach has no regrets about his choices. “They didn’t make any tactical errors. As for the team composition, we couldn’t have done better, we just weren’t in the game physically.”. The confidence was total, and still is despite this failure. “I told them that I didn’t blame them, the conditions are difficult. I start from the principle that when I trust boys by selecting them, I trust them until the end. In any case, who to put other than the six of them in a selection to have a more successful race, I don’t see?. And the grimace of his runners almost reassures him. “It’s good that they have this reaction. It’s part of their learning. We didn’t get angry with them. Last year it worked in our favor and this year we no longer played anything with two players final rounds, that’s how it is”. Up for revenge next year.
