The DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE team finished on the podium in both of the day's races. On the Région Pays de la Loire Tour, Sam Bennett won the first stage in a sprint and took the overall lead. On the Itzulia Basque Country, Bastien Tronchon contested the final sprint and took 3rd place.
Pays de la Loire Region Tour
Sam Bennett
"A magnificent team victory
"I'm very happy. My teammates did an incredible job on a pretty tough stage finish today. Everyone was great, and I'm particularly impressed by the young riders on the team, who rode like they had a lot of experience. It also put pressure on me, because I had to finish the job. I'm very lucky to be racing in this team, and I want to live up to it. A victory like this makes me think I can win at WorldTour level again. All that's needed is for something to click, and I know it's just around the corner. We're leading the general classification of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour and we're going to do everything we can to try and control the race. What's more, I'm not alone - there are other riders in the team, like Noa (Isidore), who can play a part in the overall standings. We'd really like to win here.
Itzulia Basque Country
Bastien Tronchon
"I wanted to get a good result".
"It was a great finish. I've been doing some good sprints in training lately and I knew there was room to mix it up for a stage win today at the Tour of the Basque Country. I wanted to try and the team was motivated, and my team-mates did a great job. In the end, it's third place and I'm pretty happy with the result, even if I think I could have done even better if I'd been better placed in the last bend. I don't often get the chance to compete in sprints, so it's a great experience."
The news
Triple podium for Sam Bennett
By winning the first stage of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour, Sam Bennett took not only victory but also the lead in the overall classification and in the best sprinter classification. He will wear the leader's jersey on stage 2.
4
The number
Like Tord Gudmestad's place on this first stage of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour. After perfectly launching Sam Bennett, the Norwegian sprinter maintained his speed to take 4th place on the day's stage.
