Criticizing the race leader, GC challenger Kévin Vauquelin expresses dissatisfaction with Romain Grégoire's lack of cooperation during the Tour de Suisse.
The Skirmish at Tour de Suisse:
Kéevin Vauquelin, a top contender from Arkéa-B&B Hotels, has laid into Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) for their failure to work together in the mountain stages of the Tour de Suisse. The bone of contention? The lack of collaboration to keep overall threat João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in check.
Almeida was initially written off as a GC (General Classification) contender, following his disastrous performance on the opening stage. However, the Portuguese star made a stunning comeback with a 48km solo attack on stage 4, netting him a stunning victory.
Vauquelin found himself trailing Almeida by a mere 20 seconds on the summit of the toughest climb of the day, the cat.1 Splügenpass. However, he eventually crossed the line 1:10 down on Almeida, finishing in the same time as Grégoire. Almeida bounced back to seventh overall, trailing the leader by 2:07, and is well-positioned to regain more time on the ultra-mountainous stage tomorrow.
Vauquelin remains in second place, 25 seconds off the lead, but his displeasure with Grégoire's strategy is palpable. "When I attacked to bridge across to Onley and O'Connor, I asked Romain to work with me, and he said he couldn't. Then when I attacked again, he told me he'd got choices to make," Vauquelin shared with L'Equipe after the stage.
"He decided to shadow me, just like he does in every race. It's a pity, because if between three and six riders had decided to work, Almeida wouldn't have stayed away."
'Mates before the race, but rivalry took over'
Grégoire, understandably, took a different perspective. He explained his loss of time to Almeida, O'Connor, and Onley wasn't detrimental for him as he had few hopes of maintaining the lead all the way through to Sunday's time trial. For him, securing the leader's jersey for another day was more important than gaming the GC.
"My objective was to keep it for another stage, so that's why I concentrated on Kéevin," Grégoire revealed to L'Équipe. He also expressed gratitude towards compatriot and potential rival Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), for partnering with him during the stage to limit the damage. saying: "He saved me from a really bad day. I owe him a drink."
Meanwhile, UAE Team Emirates-XRG showed no complaints about the top two GC contenders neglecting to work together against Almeida. Sports director Simone Pedrazzini stated, "It's better for us. We hoped they wouldn't collaborate, and that's what happened. Now we've got a bit more hope."
With Almeida closing in, this rivalry could heat up as the race reaches its climax. Tensions might run high if the podium places are up for grabs.
The Breakdown:
Both Grégoire and Vauquelin were seen as potential GC contenders, with team tactics primarily responsible for their lack of collaboration during the race. Teams like UAE Emirates, Lidl-Trek, and Arkéa-B&B Hotels were actively pursuing Grégoire, aiming to neutralize him rather than work with him. The tactical separation affected the overall GC battle, leading to Almeida's impressive comeback and eventual win. Vauquelin put up a strong fight but ultimately lost time, and Grégoire's inability to cooperate with him played a significant role.
Sports tension between Vauquelin and Grégoire grew as they failed to collaborate in the mountain stages of the Tour de Suisse, which potentially cost Vauquelin a podium finish. UAE Team Emirates-XRG, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction with this rivalry, stating it increased their chances in the overall GC battle.
