Coppel claims time trial, overall victory in Etoile de Besseges

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Jérôme Coppel (Saur-Sojasun) snatched overall victory on the final afternoon of the Étoile de Bessèges thanks to a dominant performance in the race’s concluding time trial. The 25-year-old mastered the testing 9.7km course to finish 26 seconds clear of Rein Taaramae (Cofidis), divesting rival French talent Pierre Rolland (Europcar) of the leader’s jersey in the process.

“At the start, I was thinking of winning the time trial above all,” Coppel said afterwards, admitting that he did not expect to make up his 20-second deficit on Rolland. “Pierre Rolland had quite a lead, so it would have needed a really good time to win the GC.”

That Coppel ultimately delivered that performance was due at least in part to his reconnaissance of the course, which featured a tough 3km climb to the line at the finish. “I reconnoitered the TT course in the car on Thursday and again this afternoon between the two stages,” he said. “The riders on the team who rode the GP de la Marseillaise had also reconnoitered it by bike, and they advised me on what gear to use.”

Coppel was hugely impressive over the entirety of the short course, showcasing his twin talents as a rouleur and climber. He cut a confident figure as he clocked the quickest time on the flat opening section of the time trial, but truly came into his own on the final three kilometres, which saw the riders climb to l’Ermitage.

Powering up the 16% slopes of the climb, Coppel stopped the clock in 14:25, and then sat back and watched as a succession of riders, including Taaramae, failed to better his mark.

Rolland was the last man off, and though led by just 6 seconds coming into the final afternoon, he still had a 20-second advantage over Coppel. Though by no means a specialist against the watch, Rolland must surely have fancied his chances of overall victory given the sting in the time trial’s tail.

Instead, however, Rolland struggled to find his rhythm, and by the time he began to haul himself up to l’Ermitage, it was clear that the Étoile de Bessèges was slipping way from him. He ultimately coughed up 47 seconds to finish 10th on the day, and slip to fourth place overall.

Taaramae’s solid outing saw him move up to third place, while the surprising Franck Vermeulen (Veranda Rideau U) put in a fine display to defend his second place overall. The 35-year-old finished fourth in the time trial, ahead of Pierrick Fédrigo (FDJ-BigMat).

The day belonged to Jérôme Coppel, however, who enjoyed a fine Tour de France last July, even if his achievement was overshadowed by the man he beat on Sunday. “Last year, I was 14th in the Tour de France and it didn’t get a lot of attention even if some other years, I would have been the first Frenchman,” he pointed out.

Étoile de Bessèges safely added to his palmares, Coppel’s attentions now turn to the most prestigious French stage race of the spring. “I’ve seen that my winter work has paid off,” he said. “I won’t turn down victory at Étoile de Bessèges but my objective for the early part of the season is Paris-Nice.”

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