Published on : 07/04/2023
Perfectly launched by Alexis Renard and Axel Zingle, Bryan Coquard took 4th place in a high-flying sprint on the Nogaro circuit. The "Coq" had nothing to be ashamed of in his final performance, while the Cofidis riders were among the sprint's great animators. After a fall, Axel only suffered burns. Tomorrow, it's off to the Pyrenees!
It's becoming a habit that we at Cofidis and all those who follow the team on a daily basis take time to savor. Once again on Tuesday, the team from the north of France was one of the leading teams in the Tour de France. However, the setting was different: the day's finish was on a circuit, in Nogaro. Sprinting, especially at the Tour de France, is anything but a clever cocktail of which few know the secret.
A sprint and promises before the Pyrenees
Nevertheless, in the wake of Bryan Coquard's 10th-place finish, the red-and-white train showed its efficiency and daring. Axel Zingle and Alexis Renard worked hard in the finale. The latter was at the head of the peloton for a long time, working hard to place Bryan right up to the line. In the final metres, the "Coq" worked hard and finally finished in 4th place, just a handful of centimetres behind Jasper Philipsen. As for Axel, he suffered a fall which was fortunately not serious: he only suffered burns on his right side (elbow and knee).
And so ends Day 4 of the Tour de France, the last stage in which Victor Lafay was able to enjoy his green jersey. Now, after two days devoted to sprinters, the road will rise again. The peloton will take on the Pyrenees with three climbs on the program: the Col de Sucousse (hors catégorie), the Col d'Ichère (3e cat) and the Col de Marie Blanque (1er cat) before descending to Laruns. A profile that should suit the climbing skills of Guillaume Martin, Ion Izagirre and their team-mates, Anthony Pérez and Victor Lafay. The intensity will be stepped up a notch, as will the altitude, and the show is sure to be on.
THEY SAID
Bryan Coquard (4th): "It wasn't exactly an ideal sprint for me. Alexis and Axel worked really well, and that bodes well for what's to come. We told ourselves that if we had the opening, we had to go for it so as not to regret anything. That's what Alexis tried to do. On a finish that's a little more complicated and a little later in the Tour de France, I think I can be a little fresher than the other sprinters."
Alexis Renard: "For a while, I knew I had to go to the front to avoid being outflanked. I went to the front to stretch as far as I could and in the end, Bryan finished 4th, so that's not bad! We had a good debrief yesterday and we're managing to put things in place, which is interesting for the future."
Guillaume Martin: "The Pyrenees are one of the Tour de France's historic massifs. I've already studied the profile of tomorrow's stage, which I recognized. It's practically the same finish as the one we had in 2020. I think it's a stage that's ideal for a breakaway. There are likely to be quite a few attacks at the start of the race, and depending on the composition of the breakaway, that will determine the scenario of the stage. The initial plan, for the overall classification, is to make a nice final climb so as not to lose time.