Benoît Cosnefroy
«There is always just as much excitement as these races approach.»
«Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the toughest race in the Ardennes, both physically and in terms of elevation. It's where the climbs are the longest and where the climbers have the most fun. I'm going there with the idea of competing with the riders who are most at home in the mountains. There will be some newcomers to the team with Aurélien (Paret-Peintre), who is back from a training camp at altitude, Felix (Gall) and Clément (Berthet), who rode well in the Franche-Comté triptych. We're going to be ambitious in this race, which is also a Monument. It's the fourth of the season and there's always a lot of excitement in the build-up to these races. I'm in good shape and the team is strong, so I think I have a chance if I can get through all the difficulties and make my mark in the final.»
The information
recognition of the final stage of Liège–Bastogne–Liège
On Thursday morning, the riders reconnoitred the last 74 kilometres of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, starting from the Haute-Levée climb. «This is an unusual race with narrow roads and difficult climbs, particularly the final climb to La Roche-aux-Faucons, where the race is often decided,» explains sports director Julien Jurdie. "It's therefore important for the riders to get their bearings, whether they're familiar with the race or discovering it for the first time, like Felix Gall and Nicolas Prodhomme, and to visualise the difficulties."
4
The figure
The number of top 10 finishes by the DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE Team in the Ardennes classics so far this season: Benoît Cosnefroy won the Flèche Brabançonne and finished fourth in La Flèche Wallonne, Paul Lapeira finished fifth in the Amstel Gold Race and Dorian Godon eighth in La Flèche Wallonne.
