Val Thorens, 21 July 2019

French riders score a brace in l'Étape du Tour de Cédrick Dubois and Edwige Pitel take the spoils in Val Thorens

The 29th edition of l'Étape du delivered on its promise. 12,760 riders took on the role of pro cyclists this morning to tackle a 135 km course between and Val Thorens with three climbs, just a week before the peloton of the Tour de France races on the same roads. It was thanks to their grit and steely determination that the amateurs managed to overcome this daunting challenge. There were few surprises in the fight for the win. The French Cédrick Dubois claimed his maiden victory with a beautiful solo move, with Belgian Tim Alleman and another French, Antoine Berlin, taking the other steps on the podium. Meanwhile, the French Edwige Pitel won L'Étape du Tour de France for the fifth time in a row.

Key points: ➢ 12,760 riders start the race in Albertville after watching the 1992 Olympic flame be relit for the day ➢ Cédrick Dubois makes up for last year's third place with the win and Edwige Pitel takes her fifth consecutive triumph ➢ The 135 km course featured three climbs, including a 33.5 km colossus before the finish in Val Thorens —the highest one in the history of the race

A numerous peloton tackled the Col du Méraillet after the first 20 km on the road. The 12 km climb at an average gradient of 7.3% set the stage for the first strategic moves. Leaders who wanted to increase the pace without going too deep into the red started trading pulls at the front of the race, while others hedged their bets and tried to save energy with each pedal stroke. Once at the top, the riders were rewarded with a spectacular view of Roselend Lake prior to tackling the ascent to the Cormet de Roselend.

A hectic pace After crowning the summit, the leading group that had detached from the rest of the peloton got rid of some lactic acid on the 19 km descent to Bourg-Saint-Maurice before hitting the lower slopes of the Côte de Longefoy at high speed. A stellar Antoine Berlin and the other riders in this group attacked the climb with gusto. Further back, the peloton split into a thousand pieces on the leg-breaking 12.5 km ascent. Next up came the descent to Moûtiers, a tricky, technical sector packed with hairpin turns that had never featured in the race before, but which the favourites navigated without a hitch.

Two bosses and many heroes The final climb to Val Thorens packed a real punch, with 33.5 km at 5,5%. While other favourites rode conservatively, Cédrick Dubois took matters into his own hands with an attack in Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, 20 km before the line. The French, an experienced climber in stellar form, turned on the afterburners to open up a gap of over a minute and, despite Tim Alleman and Antoine Berlin's last-minute effort, he managed to stay clear and take the win in Val Thorens in a time of 4:47:24″. Meanwhile, Edwige Pitel capitalised on her experience to overcome a mechanical and claim her fifth consecutive triumph in the race. The other riders may not have taken the win, but they certainly earned bragging rights. Despite finishing with nothing left in the tank, they all proved their mettle by taming this mammoth climb.

PODIUMS

Women Men 1) Edwige Pitel (FRA) : 05:25:36 1) Cédrick DUBOIS (FRA) : 04:47:24 2) Emma BILHEM (SUI) : 05:48:24 2) Tim ALLEMAN (BEL) : 04:48:22 3) Axelle GACHET-MOLLARET (FRA) : 05:49:59 3) Antoine BERLIN (FRA) : 04:49:53

QUOTES

2019 L'Étape du Tour de France winner Cédrick Dubois (FRA): "I'm very happy. I rolled the dice with a long-range attack. Then I realised they were getting closer, so I sped up and that allowed me to breathe a bit towards the end."

2019 L'Étape du Tour de France winner Edwige Pitel (FRA): "The race didn't unfold exactly how I expected it to. I had a flat with 15 km to go, so I decided to just keep going. It sure wasn't fun, but it paid off. I'm happy and relieved."

Check out all the details on L'Étape du Tour de France on www.letapedutour.com

Press contacts:

Mille & une vagues ASO Press Office Soazig Guého Marie Bonnet 06 62 08 75 44 07 89 31 57 38 [email protected] [email protected]