The 27-year-old confirmed his strong form at the last World Tour one-day race of the month.
Friday: French ITT Champion. Monday: Silver medalist at the European ITT Championships. Tuesday: In the breakaway at the 84th Bretagne Classic. It’s been a busy week for Rémi Cavagna, but the “TGV of Clermont-Ferrand” didn’t show any signs of slowing down as he lined out with the Wolfpack at the French World Tour event. As soon as the peloton left behind the neutral zone, Cavagna launched an attack that prompted the day-long breakaway – an eight-man group who established a six-minute lead.
With 75 kilometers to go, the margin was down to one minute, the cue for Rémi to put in a strong surge that dispatched his companions and forced the bunch to chase hard in order to bring him back, the catch being made only inside the final 45 kilometers. Attacks kept coming thick and fast, but Stijn Steels and Jannik Steimle did a fabulous job and shut down every attempt, making sure the peloton would enter as one on the closing circuit, which numbered three ascents.
The race-defining move came on the last climb, where Florian Sénéchal went on the attack together with one other rider. The Frenchman, who until then had managed to kept his powder dry, dug deep and opened a small gap before being joined by a small quartet over the top of the hill. It looked as if the peloton would pull back the group, but the six managed to stay clear and fight for victory on the long finishing straight in Plouay.
Florian kicked out at 200 meters to go, delivering a solid sprint which saw him take his first podium of the year, behind Michael Matthews (Sunweb) and Luka Mezgec (Mitchelton-Scott). In doing this, he became the first Frenchman in six years to podium at Bretagne Classic.
“The team was great today, making sure I was in the front on these small and narrow roads. I preferred to wait for the last climb to attack and went full gas, but unfortunately the headwind spoiled my plans. Some riders could bridge across, so I knew it would come down to a small group sprint. I started in the last 200 meters and took a nice third place, although I am a bit disappointed, because the legs were strong and I felt that I could really fight for victory today”, Sénéchal explained at the finish.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
