The TotalEnergies team has not missed a single move in the French Championship with continually at least one rider at the front. At the bell, Thomas Gachignard, future 3rd, is in the right, and Sandy Dujardin, in ambush in the counter with notably Julian Alaphilippe, Valentin Madouas, Benoît Cosnefroy and Romain Grégoire. And yet, at the finish line, it was their teammate Anthony Turgis who emerged two lengths ahead to take 4th place, ahead of the counter group (see ranking). “I have already finished 2nd twice in the French Championship, the main thing was that the team ran well to compete for the title but when I am able beyond 200 km to accelerate and reach the lead, it’s nice“, he comments for DirectVelo. “We are not on the highest step but we had a very good race today“.
The 30-year-old rider respected the team’s tactics. “I have no regrets, it was a good strategy. Thomas is in good shape, it was a good card up front. He had to anticipate the attacks of Benoît Cosnefroy, Julian Alaphilippe and Christophe Laportehe recalls. He took the right move with Julien Bernard. He manages to escape and he scores 3. When you can play for a podium, it’s better to aim for him“. For his part, the 2nd of Milan-San Remo 2022 had to wait a little longer. “There were three of us for the final, Mathieu (Burgaudeau), Sandy (Dujardin) and me“. But he does not accompany the strong ones who come out with a little more than one lap to go. “I missed the counter, I was out of time but if I had taken it, I wouldn’t have been able to get in on the three. It wasn’t the tactic to restart behind Thomas.”
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Anthony Turgis must then be champing at the bit. “I had to procrastinate and wait to find the right opportunity. When I accelerated, I knew Dorian Godon was on my right. I didn’t speak to him but I hoped he would follow me because I wouldn’t have come home alone. I was happy to be with him because he is in very good condition. Other runners returned with us. Like it was still possible, he notes. But when 16 km from the finish, there is still a minute left on a circuit like that, it’s hard to come back“.
Like all his teammates, he had to prepare without Dauphiné or Tour de Suisse and adapt. “We work with the program we have.”, he says fatalistically. “I had a good preparation course for the Tour. I worked on endurance but missing explosive efforts, he analyzes. “I try to always be present. Since the start of the season, I have felt at 80%. I got into bad momentum. I took a bad bowl in A Travers les Flanders, we thought it was okay but I must have, at the very least, cracked a rib, and maybe even broke it because I had pain in my ribs for a month. But we make do with it“.The work has paid off.”On a circuit like that you don’t end up in front by chance“.
