Published on : 09/11/2020
Guillaume Martin didn't manage to keep up with the favourites in the last climbs of the day. The leader of the Cofidis team, with his exemplary mentality, will do everything he can to recover quickly, aware that there will be other opportunities to be seized before the finish line.
In Puy-Mary, the highest point of the Massif Central, it took courage to cling to these slopes, which sometimes were nearly 15% steep. Guillaume Martin had foreseen this morning that it would be one of the most difficult stages of these three weeks of competition.
And he was right. In the twists and turns of the penultimate climb, the Col de Ceyssat, the leader of the Cofidis team was left behind because of the impressive pressing of the Ineos Grenadiers. He then tried his best to push all the way to the finish. He crossed the line 2 min 45 late compared to the yellow jersey, Primoz Roglic and is now in 12th position overall, 3 min 14 sec behind the Slovenian.
Place of honour for Nicolas Edet
Meanwhile, Nicolas Edet had managed to integrate the breakaway of the day. The rider from Sarthois, the best climber of Paris-Nice, successfully kept the very high tempo of the last climb. He finished in 6th position on one of the toughest stages since the beginning of the Tour de France. In spite of the legitimate disappointment, the Cofidis team intends to mobilise itself again to tackle the next stage of the Tour de France with intact enthusiasm.
THEY SAID...
Guillaume MARTIN:
"It was a difficult day. The second to last climb was fatal for me, the tempo was too high and I had to let go. At the top, I didn't miss much to join the yellow jersey group. By being with them, I could have recovered and made a better final climb. I was in pain and at the finish, I lost a lot of time."”
Three minutes on the tour isn't much at all. I won't give up the general classification at once and maybe I will have a little bit more opportunities to aim for a stage victory. It's a bad day but there are still a lot of opportunities ahead for me. Tonight, I am disappointed for the team and for me, but certainly not beaten.
Nicolas EDET: "
This day was a bit awkward. There were a lot of movements at the beginning of the stage. It was important that we were represented in the breakaway group. In the final, we had a big advantage and I realized that the stage victory was going to be decided right there. After that, we encountered some stronger riders and the presence of Bora and EF riders made a big difference. But I fought for the stage victory almost until the end.”
Cédric VASSEUR, general manager:
"We expected a difficult stage with an explanation between the favourites and we weren't disappointed. Guillaume didn't have the physical capacity to be with the leaders at the end of the stage. Of course, he loses his 3rd place in the general classification, but the Tour is still long. The hierarchy is beginning to establish itself and I am still convinced that those who have lost some time today will be able to do well this week-end and in the third week."