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Dernière grosse course par étapes avant les Mondiaux de Kigali (Rwanda), le Skoda Tour de Luxembourg débutait ce mercredi 17 septembre avec une 1ère étape identique à celle de l’an passé ! A menu, un parcours de 152,8 km vallonné et une arrivée pour puncheurs-sprinteurs dans la Rue Sigefroi, au sommet d’une courte bosse à Luxembourg-Fëschmaart où Mathieu van der Poel avait triomphé l’an passé. Un final explosif dans la capitale du Grand-Duché qui a souri à l’un des coureurs français en forme du moment : Romain Grégoire ! Parfaitement emmené par son équipe Groupama-FDJ tout au long de la journée et dans les derniers kilomètres, le puncheur bisontin n’a pas hésité à lancer ce sprint en côte de loin lorsque son dernier équipier s’est écarté… à près de 400 mètres de la ligne ! Irrésistible, il a alors tenu jusqu’à la ligne au terme d’un effort interminable et d’un sprint de mammouth, écoeurant un Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) bien calé dans sa roue mais incapable de le remonter.
Video : Skoda Tour de Luxembourg
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[Music] It’s an extraordinarily busy time of year in the cycling calendar. Races struggle to find a place in our hearts, but the Scola Tour of Luxembourg is absolutely arrow straight at the target. A fabulous roster of riders always come to this one, and they’re blessed by some great dignitaries, including the Grand Duke himself. Time then to take this impressive roster of riders into the hills out from and back to Luxembourg. And just look at the gnarly course that they had to deal with. This was serious racing. Forget the prologue. Out of the back door, they were busy. Wow. Six riders decided to take it on. Petra from Balti visit Malta. Batza from Vagna. Helerop from Colorquick along with Calvo from FP Pal and the Luxembourg national team with Bounce and Morag. They were busy assembling mountains points. Somebody would have that KM jersey on their back by the end of the day. What about everybody else? Well, they want to get off the mark quickly in this race. It has just about everything for everybody. Time trials, plenty of hills, the baraders can have fun, and the sprinters most definitely. You’ve got to be strong if you want to thrive here. It’s a race that deserves it and that’s precisely what we got. Cons maximum gradience of 12%. Are you having a laugh? Nobody was smiling out there. They were grimacing and digging very, very deep. They had to. Well, the parkour was having a filtering effect on the pelatin itself. Some were looking a bit secondhand off the back. Michael Gole one of those. Meanwhile, the break at the Keshdorf. We’re busy amassing those ever so important points. And not least, of course, every single day we have bonus seconds at one of the sprints around about the 60 km to go marker. And that garers vital seconds in the overall classification and sometimes races like this and particularly here that can mean the difference between a jersey and not. Moderating the pace, Groupama Frances with Roman Gregoire. Big hope for them. Of course, the head of race was still busy, but we were looking at the roster and who might actually make an impact. Scale moors, Cra Anderson, Navayz, McNelte, Healey, Carropaz. This is a big list of very big riders. The terrain was getting bigger as well, almost magnified. It’s not the altitude, it’s how you drive into a climb that counts. And they were ending their hopes, some of them, on this day. Petra Bon looked absolutely fabulous. However, Helerup it would be though, but would have the Mountains jersey by the day’s end. No time for sightseeing here, although there’s plenty to see in Luxembourg and enjoy. We were just loving watching those out there who perhaps had big ambitions for the end of the day trying to moderate their effort and save something for the last which was surely going to be dramatic. Our breakaway had an advantage of two and a half minutes at one point. It was slowly but surely being whittleled in just like the hopes of those who were up there early. The 19year-old B absorbed by the pack. Chats between Delroso and indeed Ramine. What was the plan? Well, everyone had one. But plans, well, they can indeed go up in smoke. might look good on paper, but paper is highly flammable. And indeed, our breakaway was starting to be wound in. There were some late rolls of the dice as well, but Carvajo in the bright orange. The future brighter for Petrabond and Morang, they were digging in, hoping to hold on. But the gap now tumbled to a minute and 14. And by the time we came back to Luxembourg, indeed the fish market, what would the gap be? 24 kilometers to go. It was about a minute and after half of that remaining distance they were to be caught out of the saddle stamping on the pedals. But who would put a stamp of authority on this one? It was a big ask with so many good names especially for this kind of terrain. Who would bring it in? The break then caught about the 11 kilometer to go marker. Handshakes for them and prayers perhaps for the Stefelter. The last big test. EF Education. Easy Post. We’re up for it with Carabas, Albanazi, Vandenberg, Ben Healey. No wonder this race has a stamp of a schleck about it. Uet Emirates were starting to dig deep. Brandon McNelte, Jonathan Nvas, they had big thoughts. What about Mark Hershey for Tunro Cycling? This is his kind of terrain. And it all started to light up. Rinering went for it. Healey followed. Nias was in the frame. Dunov was also there. And everybody else just playing spectator. They’re gone with a little bit of a gap allowing some rush room for those who were supposed to be the principles for the day to get themselves into position and potentially reach out for glory. 9 kilometers to go and suddenly that last peak was dealt with. It was a downhill run then into town which would add some impetus. Not for those who suffered late technicals. That always a heartbreak. As for everybody else, they were mobbing the front line. Clucas for Juniper Pro Cycling part of the lead in Group Armor seemed to have set it up absolutely beautifully. But then this 920 m, a devilish hairpin, a dip under the railway line, and then pick up to the finish line itself. And the climb just seemed to go on and on and on. The only thing missing for these guys was krampons. How and who would get there first? Into the dip they went. Tom Diver looking absolutely magnificent. Gasping for air like a basking shark it seemed. just pulling in his prey. He then let Roman Gregoire go and into the gap they started to fold in and fold their hands as well. What a drag race this was. Could Gregoire hold on? Vanderberg on his case. Hershey getting involved behind Vendrama. Now Grao hadn’t given up the ghost yet. Oh, what a finish it turned out to be. Absolutely magnificent. A golden thread in this tapestry of pain. What a way to open this race. Roman Gregoire taking ahead of Vandenberg, Hershey, Vendram, Delroso. Saen Crow was in the frame. Well, I came in, he says, with my friends. It gave me such great pleasure to be there, but Tom was supposed to open for me, and I was hyper motivated for this victory. Every single one of my team has ridden like crazy. And then Tom went for it. I was released early and just had to go for it. But he delivered big time. Not only taking the day, but of course the coveted lead of this race. Look at the names on that roster to finish today. This was a proper opening to a fabulous race. Five days of torture for our entertainment and our leader is Gregoire. Roman Gaguar with a 4-second advantage courtesy of the bonus seconds over Vanderberg Hershey, Vendram, Delgroso, and many others at 10 second margin. We can’t wait to go racing for stage two. Mama, our destination. [Music]