Despite the cramps, Alban Picard did not give up until the end. He snatched himself to avoid the return of the peloton on the Roubaix velodrome and was thus able to obtain a great place of honor after an offensive race (see classification). “We always want to win but finish in the top 10, it was a bit of the goal. I would have signed this winter to have this result. It is still good, especially with the way I get this place”, he appreciates Directive.
The member of Groupama-FDJ U19 was seen on the attack on several occasions. “At the end of Mons-en-Pévèle, I was well placed. We were a small group of 15-20 runners, because of a big fall that cut the peloton into pieces. And then I went out, we will say, a little as a postman. I did not drop anything, but it came back to me”. He left and found himself for good in mind, 40 kilometers from the finish, with his compatriot Arthur Alexandre. But 17 terminals from the goal, the runner of the French team fell in the crossroads of the tree. “Suddenly, I did not want to take too much risks and it came back on me. If I go out 20 seconds ahead of the crossroads of the tree, it may be doing it but I could no longer”.
“I live at ten o’clock in road”
In the final, he found himself in the right blow made up of seven elements, before letting them go. “I no longer had the canes, but behind we will say that I limited the breakage”. It is not certain that the fall of Arthur Alexandre changed his own race. “I don’t know if he was good or not, but I saw on the sectors that I was still a little stronger than him. He, on the dish, he was more strong than me. But I think they were going to come back anyway”. Alban Picard felt rather comfortable on the northern cobblestones, he the child of Lot-et-Garonne. “” “I could not work too much on the cobblestones since I live at ten o’clock in the road ”he smiles.
This top 10 confirms a start to the season that satisfies him. “I had some problems at the mechanical level, but I still have very, very good sensations”. The winner of the Trophy of the City of Châtellerault can look at the rest of the season with a lot of desire. “We will concentrate to recover well and then we will relaunch each other on other goals”. He notably quotes the Tour of Abitibi, in the Nations Cup, and the French championship. This Sunday, he showed that he knew how to get in shape on an appointment he checked.
