Published on : 05/16/2026
After riding almost the perfect race for most of the day, the final kilometer of the Breton classic did not go our way. Jenthe Biermans finished 8th.
Degemer mat e Kemper!The Breton classics continued with the third and penultimate chapter: the Tour du Finistère. Known for wearing riders down and perfectly suited to sprinter-puncheurs, the race’s start list suggested a more open scenario than ever before—perhaps giving attacking riders the chance to finally be rewarded for their boldness on this uphill finish.
As always, things really kicked off when the race entered the final circuit. Around fifty kilometers from the finish, after an initial period of observation, Valentin Ferron followed a move launched by local rider Gaudu in an attempt to bridge across to the day’s breakaway of five riders, who still held a two-minute advantage. The peloton refused to let them go, and the team played its part in the chase.
At the start of the final lap, as the bell rang out, two riders still held a gap of around ten seconds over the peloton, led by our riders. Their adventure finally came to an end with eight kilometers remaining. The scenario then seemed clear: everything would be decided on the final ascent of Stang Bihan. Positioning became crucial, and the Cofidis riders held their places near the front.
Bryan Coquard did an excellent job positioning Jenthe Biermans right up to the flamme rouge, before Hugo Page took over. Slightly impeded and then boxed in during the finale, our Belgian sprinter was unable to find an opening—or even fully launch his sprint.
In the end, Jenthe Biermans crossed the line in 8th place, securing his sixth top-10 finish of the season. Revenge tomorrow at the Boucles de l’Aulne?
Reaction from Edvaldas Šiškevičius:
“I’m fairly disappointed with the result, even though overall we rode a really strong race. The team was incredible—the guys controlled things well all day, even though this is not an easy race to manage. We decided to put our trust in Jenthe (Biermans), who finished 4th here last year. He was just missing a bit of strength in the finale and ended up 8th.
Of course, after such a strong collective performance, we were hoping for a bit more, but it’s not over yet. Today we showed that we’re strong, and we’ll try to do the same again tomorrow—and do even better.”