An exciting racing weekend awaits with Bahrain Victorious riders competing on three fronts: in Spain at La Vuelta, in Germany at the Deutschland Tour and in France at the Bretagne Classic Ouest-France.
The 91st edition of the one-day WorldTour race, traditionally starting and finishing in the Breton town of Plouay, will take place on Sunday, 28th August, and will feature some novelties on the course.
In particular, the peloton will face a new final 11.7km circuit, including three short explosive climbs that can be decisive and favourable to the attackers: the Rosterval (1,5km at 4.5%), the Lezot (900m at 5.3%) and the Kerscoulic (225m at 8.9%). Another significant difference will be that the race won’t head to the coast like other years, but the course will unfold more inland.
“This year’s edition is almost completely different from the past, except from the last 1,7km”, Bahrain Victorious SD Neil Stephens explains as he describes the 254.8 km course. “Anyway, as usual, it will be a long demanding day on a lumpy terrain, with more than 3.000m of climbing spread into small ascents along the route, narrow roads, and gravel sectors. We will need to race together and support one another to be able to have options in the final to go for a result”.
The 7-man squad is a bit of a mixed group, which Damiano Caruso will direct as road captain. The Italian rider withdrew from the Tour de France due to a positive Covid-19 test and mild symptoms. “He’s coming back after a time away from racing. Therefore we’re not expecting big results from him. We will rely more on his experience to direct the other guys,” Stephens explains. “We will need all team members to give 100% to get the expected results. Yukiya Arashiro and Kamil Gradek will probably get a chance to go in the breakaway. They are in great shape and can both look for a result, like Jan Tratnik and Stevie Williams, who are really suited to this race. We’re looking forward to when the race will heat up that they will be amongst those guys.
We have realistic expectations of fighting for the podium and having two riders in the top 10.
Don’t forget we also have a very talented bike rider like Matevz Govekar, who showed his form and sprint power winning a stage in Burgos. He’s here to gain experience, and let’s see if he can match with the best riders in Bretagne Classic.
Last but not least, we can count on Johan Price-Pejtersen, a fantastic helper in a working role and will be with leaders all day, to assist in protecting and positioning.
We’re looking forward to this Bretagne Classic and will be happy to try to get on the podium. We will try our best to achieve our goals”.
