Circuit Cycliste Sarthe – Pays de la Loire

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)

 Race: Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire, stage 1

Start/Finish: Pouzauges/Pouzauges

Distance: 173.2km

Pouzauges, France — Spring weather kicked in on Tuesday as Team Novo Nordisk took to the start for the 65th edition of the 4-day, 5-stage Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire, with a quick loop through farm country before six hilly laps on tight and slippery roads.

In the morning a 2-rider breakaway established a 3-minute advantage over a relatively small peloton of 96 cyclists soon after the start, following sunny skies and a forecast for rain in the afternoon. Quentin Valognes made his professional debut in France to great fanfare, but slipped on rain-slickened asphalt as the peloton entered Pouzauges in one long line.

At just under one lap to go the leading French teams took control of the pack to set up for an expected sprint finish, and Team Novo Nordisk’s own Charles Planet rode at the front before thousands of French fans. Justin Jules of France won the uphill finish just ahead of countryman Arthur Vichot, with Italy’s Andrea Vendrame rounding out the podium. Planet came in 19 seconds back as the pack split up in the final 500 meters.

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“Charles has improved in each of the last three days of racing, and it’s good to see him take lessons and learn. He is hungry for the front of the race, and each time he takes to the start he is ready to be on top. Romain is also showing great capacity, and to know that just last year he was working a full-time desk job and training in the evenings makes his progress more impressive.”

Charles Planet

“Everything was dry at the start, but then once the rain began we were passing through farms with really dirty roads, and everything was as slippery as ice. Quentin crashed twice, and in the corners everyone was slowing down a lot out of fear. FDJ was pulling really hard for Vichot, who is good in these kinds of finishes, and in the end were were maybe just 40 guys at the finish.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team will race all week in France at the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Justin Jules (WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect): 4:15:43
• 2^nd: Arthur Vichot (FDJ): same time as Jules
• 3^rd: Andrea Vendrame (Androni Giocatolli): same time as Jules

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Charles Planet: 52^nd: 0:19 behind Jules
• Romain Gioux: 77^th: 4:42 behind Jules
• Umberto Poli: 88^th : 9:05 behind Jules
• Gerd De Keijzer: 94^th: 12:06 behind Jules
• Quentin Valognes: 95^th: 12:06 behind Jules
• Javier Megias: 96^th: 12:30 behind Jules

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)

Race: Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire, stages 2a-2b

Start/Finish: Ligne/Angers – Angers/Angers

Distance: 99.8km-6.6km

Angers, France — Team Novo Nordisk raced twice on Wednesday in France, completing a short but fast road stage in the morning and a lightning-quick individual time trial in the afternoon around the Maine riverbank in the lovely city of Angers.

A 2-rider breakaway from the start in foggy Ligne stayed around three minutes ahead of the peloton as it approached the circuit finish in Angers in the morning, but French teams quickly rolled up their advantage in the technically challenging museum-district streets. Bryan Coquard of France won the mass sprint ahead of Italian Matteo Malucelli and fellow Frenchman Clement Venturini.

In the afternoon riders warmed up after a refueling lunch for the short time trial, and mingled with large crowds of French cycling enthusiasts. Alex Dowsett of England was fastest against the clock, beating his Spanish teammate Jonathan Castroviejo and French sprinter Arthur Vichot. For his victory in the late stage Dowsett now takes the leader’s yellow jersey by two seconds over Vichot with two more stages to go.

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“The organizational challenge on a day with two stages is quite hard. Mechanics prepared all of the time trial bikes yesterday evening and everyone woke up early today to drive out to the morning start. In the afternoon the medical staff and soigneurs made sure the riders could eat and digest in time and in comfort, and our athletic trainer was in charge of managing the warm up and race preparation. We met the challenge as well as any Pro Tour team because we are fortunate to have the staff and resources to do so.”

Quentin Valognes

“This morning was a short stage, just 100k, and the team was entirely focused on helping me for the sprint. Romain and Gerd kept me in the right place and really did the hard work to put me at the front of the race at the finish. It was really good team spirit. It’s really incredible to race for the first time in France with Team Novo Nordisk and have the support of my friends and family today.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team will race all week in France at the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire.

Gallery:

Results 2a: 

• 1^st: Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie): 2:19:55
• 2^nd: Matteo Malucelli (Androni Giocatolli): same time as Coquard
• 3^rd: Clement Venturini (Cofidis, Solutions Credit): “

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Quentin Valognes: 48^th: same time as Coquard
• Romain Gioux: 50^th: same time as Coquard
• Charles Planet: 66^th: same time as Coquard
• Umberto Poli: 74^th : same time as Coquard
• Javier Megias: 87^th: 0:18 behind Coquard
• Gerd De Keijzer: 91^st: 0:39 behind Coquard

Results 2b: 

• 1^st: Alex Dowsett (Movistar Team): 7:49
• 2^nd: Jonathan Castroviejo (Movistar Team): 0:08 behind Dowsett
• 3^rd: Arthur Vichot (FDJ): 0:10 behind Dowsett

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Charles Planet: 66^th: 0:56 behind Dowsett
• Javier Megias: 83^rd: 1:14 behind Dowsett
• Umberto Poli: 84^th : 1:15 behind Dowsett
• Romain Gioux: 91^st: 1:28 behind Dowsett
• Quentin Valognes: 94^th: 1:35 behind Dowsett
• Gerd De Keijzer: 96^th: 1:44 behind Dowsett

(Photos: ©Regis Garnier)

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)

Race: Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire, stage 3

Start/Finish: Angers-Pre-en-Pail/St. Samson Mont des Avaloirs

Distance: 190.3km 

Pre-en-Pail/St Samson Mont des Avaloirs, France — The Queen Stage of the 65th Circuit Sarthe put Team Novo Nordisk on the road to Mont des Avaloirs and more than 2800m of climbing on Thursday, under sunny skies and a light wind in the heart of western France.

A 7-rider breakaway quickly established a 3-minute advantage on the long, straight roads through budding forests, with French teams eager to capture valuable National Cup points at the intermediate sprint and mountain finishes. Once accomplished, the peloton quickly moved to bring the escapees back into the group before six laps on a hilly 10km circuit.

A new breakaway of 11 formed in the finishing laps, and French rider Lilian Calmejeane was too fast for the peloton, winning ahead of his countryman Julien Simon. Dutch rider Jetse Bol was third to complete the podium.

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“Our objective today for Javi was to protect him until the finish, and then let the sun shine all over the climbs. The team did a good job to keep him safe against the French teams all moving in for a good position, and we are happy with the progression of his form. In Croatia and eventually California he will be in very good shape. For the rest we did our best to support them for the climb, and with 2800m of vertical ascent this was definitely a day for climbers.”

Javier Megias

“We did this race a few years ago, but the finish was at the bottom of the climb. So today’s finish was really nice at the top. We were luckier with the weather this year, but it’s a beautiful race anyway. I really like the narrow roads, the crowds and the good stages. The attacks all started when we passed the finish line for the second time, and the guy who won was really fast. We couldn’t catch him. He’s from here, so he had a lot of motivation to do well.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team will race all week in France at the Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Lilian Calmejeane (Direct Energie): 5:27:27
• 2^nd: Julien Simon (Cofidis, Solutions Credit): 0:14 behind Calmejeane
• 3^rd: Jetse Bol (Manzana Postobon): “

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Javier Megias: 24^th: 2:24 behind Calmejeane
• Charles Planet: 61^sr: 14:05 behind Calmejeane
• Romain Gioux: 72^nd: 14:05 behind Calmejeane
• Gerd De Keijzer: 88^th: 25:02 behind Calmejeane
• Umberto Poli: 89^th : 25:02 behind Calmejeane
• Quentin Valognes: 92^nd: 26:13 behind Calmejeane

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)

Race: Circuit Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire, stage 4

Start/Finish: Abbaye de l’Epau-Saint Calais

Distance: 186.8km 

Saint Palais, France — Team Novo Nordisk Neo-Pro Romain Gioux pulled a veteran move on Friday at the final stage of the Circuit Sarthe, sticking with the lead group over a tough circuit on a hot day to finish 16th and register the first big result of his professional career.

Gioux and the rest of his teammates watched the day unfold from inside a nervous peloton, as leading teams competed for a tight general classification on an unexpectedly hilly course with strong winds for most of the day. On the 11km finishing circuit riders took seven laps in front of a giant crowd of French fans and watched as the leading group lost 30 percent of its workforce from the stiff competition.

The day’s breakaway of just four riders was never able to gain much more than one minute on the peloton, and faded back into the main bunch after just two laps on the tight and technical laps around Saint Calais. The team of overall leader Lilian Calmejeane kept the pace high and brought just half the peloton into the final corner, where Gioux stamped down on the pedals to sprint intelligently and efficiently to a very impressive top 20 finish.

Team Novo Nordisk Sport Director Lionel Marie

“We are happy with the gold-medal performance of Romain today, and in this block of French racing he and Charles Planet have pushed out at their limits to make progress from day one. The rest of the guys are in need of more racing days to find the same sharpness, with Gerd, Umberto and Quentin on the way up. Javi was very good on the Queen Stage here, and when we go to our next races we know the teamwork the guys showed in France will continue to improve.”

Romain Gioux

“The finishing circuits were really hard today, because the GC wasn’t done before the stage. Arthur Vichot and Calmejeane were just seven seconds apart, so it was full gas all day. With the crosswind it was very, very, very hard. For me Circuit Sarthe was a really good race, and every day I got better and better. For the last stage I was really good, and to do this block of competition in the last week has been really good for me.”

The world’s first all-diabetes pro cycling team will race next at Fleche Brabanconne.

Gallery:

Results: 

• 1^st: Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie): 4:33:31
• 2^nd: Clement Venturini (Cofidis, Solutions Credit): same time as Coquard
• 3^rd: Daniele Bennati (Movistar Team): same time as Coquard

Team Novo Nordisk Results: 

• Romain Gioux: 16^th: same time as Coquard
• Charles Planet: 31^st: same time as Coquard
• Javier Megias: 37^th: same time as Coquard
• Quentin Valognes: DNF
• Umberto Poli: DNF
• Gerd De Keijzer: DNF

(Photos: ©Régis Garnier)