INEOS' Geraint Thomas proud of recovering Vauquelin's breakaway effort: 'We didn’t force him'

He didn’t perform well in stages two and three of the Tour de France, so it was good to see Kévin Vauquelin back at the front again on Tuesday's stage four. The Frenchman finished sixth in the stage results, but both he and team leader Geraint Thomas were satisfied after the stage. Are they still aiming for a spot in the general classification for the Frenchman?

Vauquelin was one of the 34 riders in the lead group and, despite having to drop back briefly just before the summit, would make it into the select group of ten riders battling for the stage win. With Mads Pedersen in the mix, the sprint was a formality. Sixth place was fair for the INEOS rider, who has suffered some bad luck at this Tour de France.

And he was pretty happy with that. “Not bad. If you’re going for the win, you can be satisfied. I don’t think it was an easy day for a lot of people. I’m glad I was in the mix for the win. I fought hard. I didn’t quite feel at my best yet, but things were going better,” he told Cyclism’Actu.

Vauquelin had lost a lot of time during the opening weekend, so Tuesday was a nice boost. “As I said, it’s coming. It’s coming little by little. I’m better than I was two days ago. I’m better than I was yesterday. I think I can be really happy about this—about riding at the front more often.”

The INEOS rider sees opportunities there, too. “I think it will open doors and give me confidence.” Is a general classification finish still possible? “I’d rather focus on the stages. You can experience so much more that way. And we already have Thymen (Arensman, ed.), who’s here for the general classification,” said the rider ranked 37th in the jumbled standings.

After the race, team manager Thomas was also pleased. “It’s great to see Kevin competing at the front. He’s bounced back after falling ill following the Dauphiné.” The Welshman also emphasized: “It was never about the general classification for him. He just had to take it day by day… He’s not under pressure to perform on specific stages.”

Because, as Thomas knows: “Today we didn’t force him to join the lead group. I think it’s good for his morale to be there. His form is improving, and now we have a few quieter days ahead. He has a huge heart; he gives so much every day. It’s great to see.'

So at INEOS, they’re looking a little further ahead, starting with Stage 5 on Wednesday. “We don’t have a pure sprinter. Of course, Dorian (Godon, ed.) is fast, but not as fast as riders like Phlipsen. Anything can happen in a sprint. We haven’t had one yet. I think all the teams involved will do everything they can to win. It’ll be tough for us, but there are still many stages to go,” Thomas concludes.