Published on : 09/09/2020
The day after a harmless fall, Guillaume Martin (3rd overall) was looking forward to a calmer stage. This is what happened between Châtelaillon-Plage and Poitiers (167.5 km) where his teammates with an outstanding professionalism supported him throughout the day.
On arrival yesterday at Ile de Ré, Guillaume Martin had a tired look on his face. It was the after-effects of a difficult day, the consequence of a slight fall, fortunately not very serious. The leader of the Cofidis team had not lost his place in the general classification (3rd) but admitted to be slightly disturbed by the back and neck pain. "I hope to have a calmer day on Wednesday to recover," he said.
The team remains vigilant until the end
Fortunately, Martin was heard: this long day under a blazing sun, between Châtelaillon-Plage and Poitiers (167.5 km) went smoothly for the leaders, Guillaume included. At the end of the stage, Nicolas Edet and the whole team were determined to be at the forefront to support him all the way to the finish line.
At the end of the stage, Guillaume Martin praised the work of his teammates and added that he was very satisfied with the stage (
see below). Elia Viviani, on the other hand, was unable to find the opening in the sprint and finally finished in 17th place.
Tomorrow, the peloton continues to head east, but the day promises to be quite different. With 218 km, this stage between Chauvigny and Sarran is similar to the Classic race with four different sections to climb and a steep final. A tough stage in perspective justifies even more the peaceful atmosphere this Wednesday on the roads of the Tour de France.
Demain, le peloton continue de filer vers l’est mais la journée s'annonce bien différente. Avec 218 km, cette étape entre Chauvigny et Sarran s’apparente au parcours d’une classique avec quatre difficultés à gravir et un final escarpé. Une étape pour costauds en perspective où l'équipe conservera sa mission de protéger Guillaume Martin avant les prochaines échéances.
REACTION OF THE DAY
GUILLAUME MARTIN
ABOUT HIS STAGE
"I wanted to have a quiet day after yesterday's fall and I did. We were attentive and focused all day long. In the final, Nicolas (Edet) and the whole team did a great job to make sure we stayed well placed at the front and didn't waste too much energy. From the beginning to the end, it was a great team work. It allowed us to spend a relatively calm day and to look forward to the future with confidence".
ON HIS STATE OF HEALTH
"I felt much better than after yesterday's stage, even though I still felt a little discomfort in my back and neck area at the beginning of the day. It wasn't a great day on the bike but it was all right. I'm happy to have made it through the day without any problems."