Published on : 06/28/2026
225 kilometres, 14 laps of the circuit, 3,200 metres of elevation gain and sweltering heat in La Tour-du-Pin. The Elite French Championships had all the makings of a war of attrition, and that's exactly what it turned out to be. Weakened by the withdrawals of Sam Maisonobe and Clément Izquierdo, the team had one goal from the start: get ahead of the favourites' battle before it began.
Nicolas Debeaumarché and Paul Ourselin fired the first shots, slotting into the day's first breakaway. Benjamin Thomas then took over, spending much of the race at the front, including in a 12-man group, before finding himself in a four-rider move with 60 kilometres to go. In the scorching heat, the climbs of Saint-Roch and Béjuy took their toll. Caught with around 30 kilometres remaining, Benjamin Thomas eventually cracked on the Béjuy climb after a huge offensive effort. The team fought with everything they had on the day, and that's what we'll take away from this.
Reaction:
Benjamin Giraud, Sports Director:
"It was a very tough race, a very demanding course made even harder by the intense heat. We rode an attacking race from the start, first with Nicolas Debeaumarché and Paul Ourselin, then from mid-race onwards Benjamin Thomas pushed to the front and had a strong day until he was caught with 30 kilometres to go. The team rode offensively throughout, but we just fell a little short of being there at the end with the best riders when it came down to it. There were plenty of positives to take from the day, and the team showed real fighting spirit."