Grégoire and Martinez show French classics form ahead of bigger spring targets

With Strade Bianche coming up next Saturday, Grégoire opted to build into the Italian WorldTour appointment via the hilly races in southern France. After winning the Faun Ardèche Classic last year, the 23-year-old Frenchman added the Drôme Classic to his palmarès this time — and he did so in style.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win today,” Grégoire admitted in the team’s post-race release. “I had some doubts after yesterday’s race and the start of the season. The legs didn’t feel amazing, but my teammates never stopped believing in me… It’s very important to raise your arms early in the season.”

In the finale, Grégoire made the decisive move by following Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) as the American accelerated. The duo quickly carved out a gap, and Grégoire kept his nerve all the way to the line. “When Matteo went, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” he said. “I found myself… in the perfect position to go for the win. From that moment, the legs felt much better!”

Crucially, Grégoire didn’t waste energy checking behind. “I didn’t look back once in the final kilometre, and I didn’t know exactly where the peloton was,” he explained. “It was only when I looked back with 100 meters to go and saw Lenny next to Matteo that I realized how close it was.” After his victory in France, Grégoire’s next races are set to be Trophy of Laigueglia and then Strade Bianche, with the Groupama–FDJ leader clearly carrying momentum into his bigger spring goals.

Another young Frenchman leaving the weekend with confidence is former team-mate Lenny Martinez. The Bahrain Victorious climber finished third in both the Faun Ardèche Classic and the Faun Drôme Classic — two podiums in two days on home roads.

“Yes, I’m happy with today! The finale was quite tactical; unfortunately I missed the right move, but I managed to hold on for third place thanks to the team,” Martinez said. “We’re heading home with two podium finishes. I’m happy, but I’m missing that feeling of winning. Hopefully it will come soon.”

Bahrain Victorious sports director Roman Kreuziger praised both Martinez and the wider team performance across the key moments: “We always had riders around Lenny to protect and position him in the key moments… However, other teams had multiple riders in the finale, so he couldn’t respond to every attack.”