The DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE team finished on the podium in both races today. In the Région Pays de la Loire Tour, Sam Bennett won the first stage in a sprint finish and took the lead in the overall classification. In the Itzulia Basque Country, Bastien Tronchon contested the final sprint and took 3rd place.
Pays de la Loire Region Tour
Sam Bennett
«A magnificent team victory»
«I'm very happy. My teammates did an incredible job in a pretty tough stage finish today. Everyone was great, and I'm particularly impressed by the young riders on the team, who rode as if they had a lot of experience. It also put pressure on me, because I had to finish the job. I'm very lucky to be riding for this team, and I want to live up to their expectations. A victory like this makes me think that I can win again at WorldTour level. I can feel it, I just need that final push and I know it's close. We're at the top of the general classification in the Région Pays de la Loire Tour and we're going to do everything we can to try and control the race. What's more, I'm not alone, there are other riders in the team like Noa (Isidore) who can compete in the general classification. We'd really like to win here.»
Itzulia Basque Country
Bastien Tronchon
«I wanted to achieve a good result.»
«It was a great finish. I've been sprinting well in training lately and I knew there was a chance to win a stage today in the Tour of the Basque Country. I wanted to give it a go and the team was motivated, my teammates worked really well. In the end, I finished third and I'm pretty happy with the result, even though I think I could have done even better if I had been better positioned in the last corner. I don't often get the chance to compete in the sprint, so it's a great experience.»
The information
Triple podium for Sam Bennett
By winning the first stage of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour, Sam Bennett not only secured victory but also took the lead in the general classification and the best sprinter classification. He will wear the leader's jersey during the second stage.
4
The figure
Like Tord Gudmestad's place in this first stage of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour. After perfectly launching Sam Bennett, the Norwegian sprinter maintained his speed to take 4th place in today's stage.
