Tronet wins stage 1 of the Route du Sud

Steven Tronet (Auber 93) sprang something of a surprise as he claimed the opening stage of the Route du Sud with a well-timed effort in the uphill sprint finish in Auch. The Frenchman held off Romain Hardy (Cofidis) and Michael Carbel Svengaard (Cult Energy) on a day when Bryan Coquard (Europcar) had been widely tipped to shine.

Indeed, Coquard’s Europcar squad spent much of the afternoon at the head of the peloton, keeping the early break in check, but despite a fine lone cameo from Cyril Gautier, they lost control of affairs in the breathless final 15 kilometres of racing.

Although the help of Cult Energy ultimately helped Europcar to sweep up a determined group of late escapees led by Christopher Juul-Jensen (Tinkoff-Saxo) at the flamme rouge, the end result was that Coquard was largely bereft of teammates in the final kilometre and he failed to make an impact in the sprint.

Instead, it was the in-form Tronet – winner of a stage of the Ronde de l’Oise last week – who stole the show in Auch by ripping clear of the peloton with a shade under 200 metres to go and opening a winning gap. Hardy and Svengaard reacted but were unable to get back on terms, while Quentin Pacher (Armée de Terre) led the rest of the peloton home at three seconds.

Contador

At 204 kilometres, Thursday’s stage was the longest of the Route du Sud, and the échappée matinale forged clear shortly after the flag dropped. Cédric Pineau (FDJ), Beñat Txoperena (Murias Taldea), Daniel Martinez (Colombia) and Hector Saez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) soon built up a lead of four minutes, though there were never given much leeway by a Europcar squad eager to set up Coquard for the win.

Alberto Contador was making his first appearance since winning the Giro d’Italia last month and the Route du Sud will be his lone competitive outing ahead of the Tour de France. The Spaniard spent much of the day ensconced amid a phalanx of his Tinkoff-Saxo teammates near the head of the peloton and he would go on to finish the stage in 10th place.

Nairo Quintana, too, is on hand for his final preparation race ahead of the Tour. After a longer lay-off than Contador – he has been in his native Colombia since the Tour de Romandie in early May – Quintana finished safely in the peloton, as did Ryder Hesjedal (Cannondale-Garmin).

For the most part, Contador and his Tinkoff-Saxo squad were content to maintain a watching brief, but Europcar’s pace-making gradually clipped back the four leaders’ advantage, and with 25 kilometres remaining, the gap was down to 1:30. That news was enough to fracture the escapees’ unity as they approached the climb of the Côte de Lavardens, with the 19-year-old Martinez zipping off the front alone.

The also triggered a spate of attacks in the main peloton, with Juul-Jensen following Julien Bérard (Ag2r-La Mondiale) when he jumped away with 17 kilometres to go. They caught and passed Martinez shortly afterwards, and they were later joined by chasers Quentin Jauregi (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Karel Hnik (Cult Energy Pro Cycling), Stéphane Rossetto (Cofidis) and Miguel Angel Rubiano (Colombia) as Europcar struggled to bring order to the front end of the bunch.

Although Bérard dropped back almost immediately, the five remaining leaders quickly found common cause and resolutely defending a lead of 15 seconds into the final two kilometres – indeed, were it not for Cult Energy’s decision to back Svengaard’s chances in a mass finish over Hnik in a putative sprint from the break, they may very well have stayed away. Instead, however, the race came back together, and Tronet made light work of the uphill finishing straight to claim victory and the overall lead.

Friday’s second stage from Auch to Saint-Gaudens should offer a further chance for the fast men, though it follows a hilly route that might yet force a selection ahead of the finishing circuit, while on Saturday, the peloton faces the queen stage over the Haut-Balestas, Col de Val Louron Azet and Port de Balès en route to the finish in Luchon.

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