For the second year in a row, the captain of the small Wallonie-Bruxelles team Sebastien Delfosse proves that he can mix it up with the WorldTour stars in hilly one-day races. One year after his second place, he finished third in the Drome Classic.

"With the weather of the day, I was afraid of not being able to live up to expectations all the work that my teammates had done for me," he told Directvelo. "I was very disappointed with my performance yesterday in the Classic South Ardeche. I really had to do something today. I insisted but the whole team really worked for me. Everyone believed in it. The only reward is that podium. I was not able to do better, but I'm still satisfied. 

"In the end, I found myself in a group with Romain Bardet. There were already five riders in front. I knew there were still people behind who could ride. I think of the two riders of the Cofidis team (Yoann Bagot and Rudy Molard) who would have to make the effort. Anyway, I realized that the difference would be made on the final climb. And this was the case. I really wanted to start in the first three positions to hope for something. And that's what happened.

"When Samuel Dumoulin attacked, I was right behind him. But I needed to recover when we returned to the lead group. When Dumoulin countered, I was in the red. The finish of the race was practically on the top of the clomb. Then I gave everything to the finish. I just lost a place in the descent when a rider (Fabio Felline) took the inside in a corner. But at the top, I had already realized that it was over for the win. I could only hope for a place on the podium. So I have to be satisfied. Now I am going to the Memorial Samyn. After that, my schedule has not yet been established. I will discuss it with the staff in the coming days.