Published on : 05/16/2026
The extremely difficult conditions put an end to the team’s ambitions on the queen stage of the Tour de Hongrie. Louis Rouland was the team’s first rider across the line, finishing 16th.
The queen stage certainly lived up to expectations. The peloton rolled out from Mohács in brutal weather conditions. After discussions with the organizers, the decision was made to shorten the stage from 186 to 143 kilometers. Even so, the riders still had to tackle the three ascents of Pécs, each more than five kilometers long at around 7%.
Highly visible in their brightly colored rain jackets, the team’s riders stayed attentive near the front of the peloton. The gap to the three-man breakaway was kept under control, stabilizing at around two minutes. The first climb passed without attacks, as everyone sized up the gradients of the day’s toughest challenge in front of a large crowd that had braved the terrible weather conditions. The descent, meanwhile, became especially dangerous due to the relentless rain.
At the front, the breakaway riders worked together perfectly to keep the peloton at bay—and it paid off. At the last moment, the organizers decided to remove the final lap of the circuit. With 22 kilometers remaining, the stage suddenly became just… four kilometers long.
In the end, Söderqvist’s power proved too much for the chasing riders. Louis Rouland was the first rider from the team to finish, crossing the line in 16th place.
Debrief from Roberto Damiani:
“The fourth stage was shortened before the start, so we ended up racing over 146 kilometers. They then removed the final lap as well, which was the hardest part of the day. Every day, the riders have had to deal with wind, rain, and really difficult conditions.
Today, we worked well with Renard, Zamperini and Samitier to position our climbers perfectly at the entrance to the final circuit. Sylvain Moniquet, Jamie Meehan and Louis Rouland were all in that front group of around thirty riders, which was ideal.
But we received the information quite late that the final lap had been removed. In the end, it was Louis who was the first of our riders across the line. Now it’s on to the final stage tomorrow.”