First victory for life for the Caladois who arrives with a handful of seconds in front of a hunting group who will never have managed to join him. On the evening of this harsh first act, Gabriel Salon has five seconds ahead of general, and his team places three runners in the first five by winning, by the way, two out of three jerseys. However, nothing has yet been played.
Our analysis, our photo report and the rankings.
There are signs like that which do not deceive: on arrival, avenue de l’Europe, the runners have practically all arrived at the dropper, a few groups, no more than five, like an arrival at the top of an alpine collar. This sign proves the intensity and difficulty of this test concocted by the organizers, Creusot Cyclisme, of the fifth “Hard Classic”, Souvenir Antonin Landré. A memory that had to be noted, it was.
The heat, the six laps of the bizots and this damn straight line in the rise of the machurons had already largely settling the peloton, the jumps and the thatch at Creusot have finished finishing the last forces of the runners. The reasons why they arrived at the drop-in account are there, but not only.
No, because the competitors launched the race at the end of the fictitious departure. History will remember that it is Dorian Desèbe (MJC Buhl) who will be the first striker, from the start, quickly taken up. The peloton’s nervousness was palpable, everything was a pretext to go out. The first serious offensive business is to be put to a group of six, who went downhill to join the bizots, without reaction from the peloton. In this group, a favorite, Lucas Aulerc du VC Dolois. The Open 1 was holding this race, by its prestige, of course, but above all by its symbol, he will admit it to us at the end of the race: “I hold on to this test, I was at the university at Creusot and then, above all, I was a friend of Antonin Landré, we trained together, we were running together, I knew his parents, I kept there. Bravo, Antonin would have for surely appreciated the plume and the challenge won at kilometer 17 in his memory, the green jersey, the attacks. A lot of efforts, offensive which will be fatal to him at the end of the journey.
The escaped will have up to 35 seconds in advance, but behind, we had taken the measure of the threat, let a cador go? Not possible, especially like that, downhill. Ten men came out of the peloton to launch hunting, while accumulating the bizots, the machurons…
This initiative had the effect of splitting the peloton in two, the first of it pointed out, at the time of racing, at 1’10 ” from the head of the race. The wind, heat and repetition of this straight line were going to rebut the cards. The two head groups were going to unite, joined by some latecomers who had felt the turn of the race. In the third round of the bizots, a new group of 12 runners were in the lead. Lucas Aulerc was found once again, but also Maxime Hertaut, Thibault Regnault and Noam Demoury of the very first group of attackers. Lucas Aulerc accumulated points with intermediate sprints and became the man to follow.
The efforts of these escapes will not be enough to widen a gap which will not rise to more than 35 ”. Well skimmed, the rest of the peloton will come together before the bizots and, very curiously, but it will only be the second time of the day, two men leave it, in the words of one of them “in factors”, and in the descent between the cross of the mats and the sorme: Gabriel Salon and Cyprien Maisson, both of the VC Villefranche-Beaujolais.
Very surprised by this situation, the two accomplices begin to “pedal”, one very doubtful, the future winner, the other very optimistic. “I said to Gabriel:” Dude, you never know what can happen, it’s a bicycle race. »» Daring, a little because there were 30 km left and the two major difficulties to negotiate.
Behind we organized, but we did not join. Gabriel Salon was very comfortable in the climbs, paying the luxury of delaying at the heights so that his teammate joins him and helps him on the less difficult parts. A judicious choice and who will pay, to the Chaume the future winner left his boyfriend, joined by four pursuers who were going to play the win on the avenue de l’Europe, after the terrible descent of the road to Marmagne. Unnecessary efforts, Gabriel Salon was the strongest today, the hunters will arrive at 5 ”.
Gabriel wins the first step, the substantial jersey and the polka dot jersey (which he will switch to his teammate for non-cumulation) of best climber.
Will these 5 ” be sufficient? We have some doubts. On Sunday morning, there will be the terrible test of team time trial, and the designated favorite is Corbas with Mathias Ribeiro Da Cruz, the reigning specialist and champion of France. If you were told that the Lyonnais came to “die” 8 seconds from the winner?
Sunday morning, against the team watch in Saint-Pierre-de-Varenne, in the afternoon, there will be 93 km between Essertenne and Le Breuil to designate the future red winner jersey. Nothing is played.
Vincent BRUCCI
(Photos Manon Bollery
and Vincent Brucci)
Gabriel Salon (VC Villefranche-Beaujolais)winner of the stage, best climber: “I am Caladois and I have always run to the club. I am in the reserve team, I am 19 years old. This is my first victory in life, I assure you. Contrary to what you can believe, we totally improvised the end of the race. At 30 km, with Cyprien (Maisson), we came out in factors, in a straight line. Direct, my teammate said to me: “We go”. Frankly I did not believe it, but Cyprien gave me beautiful relays. We were getting ahead, little by little I told myself that it could do it, we even started to say that we were going to happen both, I said that I let him win, since I had made the jersey for the best climber and then to the jumps I had to wait because he was hard. He helped me a lot on the descent to join the thatch, but as it came back behind, I did not have the choice, I continued on my own. There was never any regrouping, they did not take me back. Objective ? We have a good team for the CLM tomorrow, but we will see the afternoon with the gaps, following the time, I know there are big teams. Then, if I’m just for the ranking, I will try to keep the polka dot jersey. You will have to have your legs. »»
Lucas Auclerc (VC Dolois), Leader of points sprints: “Yes, I was in front since the start of the race. I had announced to my teammates, from this winter in prep this winter, that the “HARD train” was my goal this season, because Antonin Landré, for me, is something. We knew each other, I know his family, I was a student here, just behind the finish line (in college), every Tuesday evening I was at the Landré, we ate together. Yes, it was close to my heart. I wanted to be there, in all the good escapes, from the start, that’s what costs me, perhaps at the end of the race, I had cramps from all over the last bump. I am happy to have the green jersey (sprints), my goal was to get on the podium, I would have liked to win, but I came across stronger. The CLM? We are a nice team, we will see how we will recover, Corbas with Da Cruz remains favorite. Tomorrow afternoon, it may like today to have them everywhere. I will try to keep the jersey. In any case, the stage was nice and I saw a lot of people I know. »»
Cyprien Maisson (VC Villefranche-Beaujolais)wearer of the jersey of the best climber: “Yes, I admit, Gabriel (lounge) did not believe it too much, we go out at 30 km, that was a lot, it’s true. I replied: “Dude, you never know what can happen, it’s a bicycle race. “Behind the peloton was reduced to twenty runners, no teams to organize, I said:” Dude, we have to press, we will succeed. He took beautiful relays, we started making the hole. Behind it came back hard, one of our guys (Alex Martins) returns with the pursuers, on the dish I said to him: “Go ahead, don’t expect me. It worked, so much the better. The collective paid. Tomorrow, we’re going to hang on, recover well, it’s going to go. We’re going to do everything to keep the jersey. »»
The classification of the 1st stage
The general classification after the 1st stage
: Gabriel Salon (Villefranche -Beaujolais) wins the 1st stage){kind=link}