Tour of Britain
He had to fight hard until the very end, but this Sunday in Cardiff, Romain Grégoire did secure his final victory in the 2025 Tour of Britain. In a fast-paced sixth stage, and after following the attacks from Remco Evenepoel in the final, the Frenchman firmly held onto his green jersey. In the Welsh capital, he therefore secured his fourth victory of the season, and the third overall stage race victory of his career.
| STAGE RANKING1. Olav KOOIJ (Team Visma Lease a Bike) 02h28’19” 2. Samuel WATSON (INEOS Grenadiers) +00″ 3. Fred WRIGHT (Bahrain – Victorious) +00″ 13. Romain GRÉGOIRE (Groupama-FDJ) +00″ |
| GENERAL RANKING1. Romain GRÉGOIRE (Groupama-FDJ) 19h31’23” 2. Remco EVENEPOEL (Soudal Quick-Step) +02” 3. Julian ALAPHILIPPE (Tudor PCT) +04″ |
ROMAIN GRÉGOIRE
« It was a nervous stage. To be honest, I didn’t sleep well last night. There were a lot of riders close to me in the general classification, so we had to manage it well. That’s what we did perfectly as a team. I was a bit nervous because I knew I could win, but I could also finish tenth tonight. It wasn’t easy on the climb, but I was quite confident, I had good legs, and I was able to follow the attacks. The descent wasn’t easy either. Remco attacked, it wasn’t a fun moment, but I managed to catch him. With 10 or 15 riders, it would have been really dangerous for me at the finish, but when sprinters like Kooij and Watson came back, it was easier to manage. When I saw Visma-Lease a Bike leading out in the last two kilometres, I was more confident. It’s crazy! I’m really happy with this victory, for me and for the team. It’s incredible to win a GC in a race like this. It’s quite rare in a career. And then winning in front of Remco and Julian makes the victory even sweeter. I just enjoy the moment. It was the first race of a big block, so starting with a victory like this will obviously give me a lot of confidence. »
JÉROME GANNAT
« The weather conditions weren’t easy either as it rained a lot during the day. It was also a tactical stage in a way. First, we had to let go the right breakaway, which went after about twenty kilometres. The goal was to keep them at about two minutes because we knew it would come back fast in the final. After fifty kilometres, things got a bit tense in the peloton because we approached a strategic zone, with small roads typical of Wales. The leaders found themselves together at the top. Ideally, Quentin should have been with Romain in the final, but he had a mechanical problem on the climb. Romain had to manage it on his own, but he especially had to keep an eye on Alaphilippe and Evenepoel. He had this race in mind because he knew the stages suited him, especially the one he won. Yesterday, he did what he had to do by finishing in the climbers’ group without losing time. Romain is really strong when he’s determined. Overall, we defended the jersey for two days, and I think we did it well. We handled our responsibilities and our strategy well, so I think we can be proud of that. Finally, it was special because the staff from La Conti that was here didn’t know the WorldTour riders very well, but it went well. There was a very good atmosphere and that obviously also affects the results. »
Words & Images courtesy of MediaGroupamaFDJ
