Benoît Cosnefroy
«One of the most difficult days I've ever had on a bike.»
«I was frozen for the last 80 kilometres, I didn't think I'd make it to the finish. It's been a long time since I've finished in such a physical state. The team positioned me very well at the foot of the final climb up the Mur de Huy, then I wanted to manage my climb so I wouldn't have any regrets. I'm already happy to have been in the first group, which was really not easy with the cold rain and snow at times. But now I'm at the end and I'm really very cold. It's one of the most difficult days I've ever had on a bike.»
The information
gruelling stage of the Tour of the Alps
The race was also tough in Austria on the Tour of the Alps, a «dantesque stage» according to Stéphane Goubert. The sports director looks back on this third stage: «Fortunately, it was only 128 kilometres long, as the conditions were extreme with rain and temperatures around three degrees. The team performed well, staying at the front, and at the finish we had three riders in the top ten. Tomorrow is the queen stage, starting at a mountain pass before tackling more than 4,000 metres of elevation gain over 141 kilometres of racing.»
5
The figure
The number of DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE riders in the top 10 in Wednesday 17 April's races. In the Tour of the Alps, Aurélien Paret-Peintre finished fifth in the stage. Ben O'Connor and Valentin Paret-Peintre finished eighth and ninth respectively. In Belgium, at La Flèche Wallonne, Dorian Godon added to Benoît Cosnefroy's impressive fourth place with an eighth place finish at the top of the Mur de Huy.
