Groupama-FDJ sports director questions Wout van Aert’s aggression in Dwars door Vlaanderen

Grégoire, who was riding only his second cobbled race as a professional after the E3 Saxo Classic, anticipated the favourites’ moves alongside Thomas Gachignard of TotalEnergies and Niklas Larsen of Unibet Rose Rockets. Van Aert then bridged across on his own, before first distancing Grégoire and later Larsen as the race moved deeper into its finale.

“We noticed that the group was strong in recent races, so we wanted to take advantage of that today,” Groupama-FDJ sports director Frédéric Guesdon said in the team's race report. “The goal was to be proactive and not ride conservatively. It was the penultimate race in Flanders, and we didn’t want any regrets: we had to be involved in the moves and try to get the best possible result.”

Thibaud Gruel, the other emerging talent in the Groupama-FDJ line-up alongside Grégoire, was immediately present when Lidl-Trek split the race after 75 kilometres. Later it was Grégoire, already fourth in Strade Bianche this spring, who launched the move that also brought Larsen and Gachignard clear. “Once Romain was away, the others had to cover moves and disrupt the chase,” Guesdon added.

On the Eikenberg, Van Aert made the bridge to the front, and for a moment it looked entirely possible that the leaders could ride on toward Waregem and settle the podium places among themselves. Larsen, too, appeared more than willing to keep the move going. Van Aert, however, chose a different approach and used the Nokereberg to accelerate just after Grégoire had done a turn on the front.

“Romain paid for a slight lack of course knowledge, as he found himself positioned too early at the front,” Guesdon explained. “On that climb, it’s best to come from behind with speed, and unfortunately he got caught out there.”

“That said, I didn’t really understand why Van Aert decided to push the pace at that moment. He probably would have been better off staying with the two others and going further. It was obviously a shame for us.”

Grégoire was later reeled in, after which it was up to Valentin Madouas, Axel Huens and Gruel to try to salvage a result for the team. Huens eventually finished 16th, while Gruel crossed the line in 20th. “Once again, the result doesn’t reflect our day,” Guesdon said.

“We’re left wanting more from these Classics. The team is strong, we’re active, but the results aren’t coming. Hopefully it will come on Sunday. The Tour of Flanders is certainly a level above, but that might actually suit us. If we race well, we have what it takes to get a result.”