Groupama-FDJ’s collective strategy paid off with Tom Donnenwirth’s sprint victory ahead of team-mates David Gaudu and Lorenzo Germani, with Andrea Vendrame in between.
Every year (or almost every year), the German U23 team proves that its invitation to the Tour de l’Ain is richly deserved. As is often the case, the team goes on the offensive from the very first kilometers. Julian Borresch, Belgian Kenny Molly (Van Rysel Roubaix) and Eritrean Yoel Habteab (Bike Aid) formed the first breakaway of this edition. The three men had a lead of around three minutes, then two minutes with 40 kilometers to go, at the start of the ascent of the day’s highlight, the Col de Portes (14.6 km at 5.4%). The Visma/Lease a bike team then began to set a steady pace at the front of a stretching peloton. The gap melted rapidly and the three breakaways were caught 34 km from Lagnieu.
In the process, another trio was formed. Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) found himself up against Belgium’s Cian Uijtdebroeks, accompanied by his Visma/Lease a bike team-mate, Britain’s Ben Tulett. At the top of the Col de Portes, which Cian Uijtdebroeks crossed in the lead, they had a lead of around 30 seconds over a group of chasers. At the end of the descent, 16 men regrouped.
With 10 kilometers to go, another Bike Aid rider, Oliver Mattheis, who had tried his luck, had a 17-second lead over a growing peloton. By Lagnieu, the peloton had grown to 29. The German was caught with 2.2 kilometers to go. Groupama-FDJ took control with 200 meters to go and completed a Tom Donnenwirth and David Gaudu double, with Lorenzo Germani finishing 4th behind Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Steff Cras (TotalEnergies) rounded off the Top 5. In his first pro season, the Frenchman wins his first pro race. The contenders (Jordan Jegat, Cian Uijtdebroeks…) remain in the game.
Tom Donnenwirth: “Everything went like clockwork. The “Abeilles” (Visma/Lease a bike) stung very early on in the climb, and it hurt my legs a lot. I had to manage my effort to make a big sprint at the end. That’s what I managed to do. I’d like to thank the whole team who worked so hard for me, who put their trust in me. For my first pro victory, it’s nothing but happiness. It’s a day that will stay with me forever. It was important for David Gaudu, who wants to build up his confidence before the Vuelta by aiming for the general classification, to place in the sprint. If it comes down to placing, that’s always good. If he finishes second behind me, that’s just a bonus.”
