Sam Oomen (Giant-Alpecin) confirmed that he is the a future Dutch GC rider in the making by riding to an impressive solo win on the first mountain stage of the Tour de l’Ain. With a powerful attack inside the final two kilometres, the Dutchman dropped his four final companions and then soloed across the line to take both the win and the leader’s jersey. Pierre Latour (Ag2r) was second and Bart De Clercq (Lotto Soudal) took third.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Sam Oomen: It is magical to win my first race here

Sam Oomen (NED) has raced to his first professional victory on the third stage of the four-day Tour de l'Ain, moving into the overall race lead with the stage win. After getting into the select group on the penultimate climb of the day, Oomen then made the final five rider selection before jumping clear just before the finish.

 

The break was caught on the penultimate climb of the day. The decisive move of 15 formed over the top before Oomen’s break of five pulled clear on the approach to the uphill finish.

 

With a late jump, catching the others unaware, Oomen broke clear to finish just ahead of his breakaway companions, putting a second between himself and second place. With the win, Oomen moves into the leader’s jersey ahead of tomorrow’s final stage.

 

After the stage, coach Arthur van Dongen praised the effort of both Sam and the whole team:

 

“It was a great job by the entire team, as they’ve worked hard for Sam these past few days and today brought him to the foot of the final climb in position. A small group entered the final 10km with Sam still there. On passing the last km sign, Sam attacked and took the victory.

 

“For Sam this is a perfect learning process with a team behind to support him in an ideal race with a strong field. This year he’s already shown great things and this is a great success. Tomorrow will be an exciting and tough stage with the Grand Colombier, but in that case it’s better to be seconds ahead than behind. We’ve now got the victory and we’ll try to defend the jersey, and see what tomorrow brings.”

 

After his podium duties, Oomen added:

 

“I’m very happy with my first professional victory and winning is always something magical. It went very well today and the legs were good. The team worked strongly and I am very happy to pay them back in this way. I knew the stage from the last two years and I was anticipating this scenario. I knew the last climb was going to be decisive and we were left with a small group, and in the last kilometres I still had something in the tank.

 

“Tomorrow will be a tough day, but it comforts me to know that I am in good form and I am climbing well. Also, the strong team gives me trust and confidence. We have some experienced guys who know how to deal with those situations and the young guys, like Martijn [Tusveld], with whom I was in the same situation before.”

 

"I found the beginning of the stage particularly difficult because no team controlled the race,” he told Directvelo. “The moment AG2R La Mondiale took things in hand, from the Cote de Plagne, things were simpler. During the last part of the stage, I felt very good and I managed to get into the right group. I remembered the Cote de Menthières and the final because it was the same two years ago. When we found ourselves with five in the end, everyone looked a little around. I knew the sprint finish was risky so I decided to try my luck. And it worked! For the yellow jersey, I have a good team so we will try to defend the jersey but the Grand Colombier is going to be difficult.”

Pierre Latour: We hesitated a little too much

"We wanted to have someone in front but the other teams did not necessarily agree,” Pierre Latour told Directvelo. “Suddenly we had no one in the first real breakaway. Etixx-Quick Step was not chasing which I can understand so we really took the race in hand from the Cote de Plagne. Then I really started from Menthières, following the attack of Guillaume Martin. I understood that it can go all the way. It is the same scenario as last year when 10 seconds was enough because behind they looked a little too much at each other. We really worked well together. One kilometer from the finish, I slowed down to let the De Clercq tale a turn and this is where Sam Oomen attacked. We hesitated a little bit and it was already too late. Then I did the sprint but only for second place. The final victory? We'll see how the legs are tomorrow. After the summit of the Grand Colombier, there are forty kilometers which is very long. "

Optimistic Bart De Clercq: I will try to take the overall victory

The race really exploded on the Col de Menthières, the penultimate climb of the day, as eight riders decided to attack. Bart De Clercq felt good and he joined the escapees. The early break was caught a few moments later due to this effort. Afterwards several other attempts were made but everything came back together in the descent. About fifteen riders rode towards the final uphill parts of the race. Again it was De Clercq who showed his climbing skills and he managed to obtain a nice gap together with four other riders. Finally, Sam Oomen accelerated in the last kilometre. No one reacted in the chasing group and therefore the Dutch rider won the stage. Bart De Clercq finished nicely at the third place, Maxime Monfort was tenth. Sam Oomen is also the new leader on GC, Bart De Clercq is third at seven seconds. Maxime Monfort is eleventh at 45 seconds. Everything is still possible on the last stage tomorrow.

 

Bart De Clercq said:

 

“Maybe I could have won today’s stage, but I’m happy with the third place after all. I tried to ride aggressively. I attacked on the final real climb of the day and only a few riders were able to follow me. Several other riders managed to bridge the gap just after the descent. I decided to attack again on the final uphill parts and this time four riders joined me. At the end, Sam Oomen accelerated and no one reacted. Therefore he was able to take the win. I’m a bit disappointed but I’m also third on GC and that’s a good position to start the final stage. We have a very strong team and we are able to control the race although tomorrow will be another hard day. If I have the same feeling as today, I’ll try to obtain the overall victory. The final climb is still far from the finish thogh, it will depend on how the race will evolve. Also Maxime Monfort still has a chance to aim for a good result as he’s eleventh on GC. The condition is really good, the team is in great shape so I’m confident about tomorrow’s outcome.”

 

Strong Guillaume Martin disappointed with fourth in Ain queen stage

Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) was 4th

 

"I'm a little disappointed with the final result,” he told Directvelo. “I finished 4th, this is the wrong place ... I did not do a good sprint even though while this type of finish normally suits me. Pierre (Latour) launched the sprint, and then we remained in our place. Oomen was strong so I do not have too many regrets for the win. I'm disappointed about missing the podium because much won’t change in the GC.

 

“I took another step this year. My power values ​​show that. This is reflected in my results. My place is satisfactory. But when you have good legs, you want to be as high as possible. I want to win my first pro race this year. I just missed an opportunity but I will try again.”

French U23 rider excels in Tour de l’Ain queen stage

David Gaudu (France) took an impressive fifth place.

 

“It went very fast on the first two climbs,” he told Directvelo. “Most of the peloton was on the verge of cracking. I felt from the start that I had good legs. I could ride a little faster. I thought it could possibly be good today. I had to be good in the stage to hope for a good GC result. I was protected, like Leo (Vincent). Nans (Peters) and Valentin (Madouas) were trying to join the break. The right move took a long time to form. Unfortunately, Valentin missed 8 seconds in reaching the first three. Then we rode tempo.

 

Approaching Menthières, there was a big fight. I took a good turn at the bottom of the climb. We were well positioned with Leo, Aurélien (Paret-Peintre) and Mathias (Le Turnier). The legs made the difference on the climb. I was not great but I was better towards the summit. The descent was fast in the first part and easier later. They attacked at the bottom of the climb to Lélex. We are in preparation for the Tour de l'Avenir, so it was not too bad that I could follow.

 

“In the end, I was spent. I think I annoyed the others but I could not do otherwise. I did not have the legs to cooperate. Sam Oomen attacked under the flamme rouge. We looked around. I was a bloc. Others have more strength than me. I made ​​a bad sprint. 

 

”This is a very good result, especially in a 2.1 race. I finished 9th at the Grand Prix Plumelec (1.1) but it was totally different: there were fewer teams and fewer WorldTour teams. Moreover, at the Tour de l'Ain, the terrain is mountainous. I wanted to see what I could do on such terrain against professional riders. 

 

“Tomorrow it could be aggressive but everything will depend on the big teams. If my legs are good, I won’t hesitate. And if I can attack, I might have more freedom than Bart de Clercq and Guillaume Martin. However, I do not know anything about the Col du Grand Colombier. 

 

Patrick Konrad shows great form in Tour de l’Ain queen stage

It was Pier Latour who dirst decided to give it a go. Also Bora-Argon 18 captain Patrick Konrad joined the French rider in a group of 8. Just before the summit Geniez tried to make a decisive move. He built a lead together with 2 riders over the previous group, but on the decent the Konrad group could close the gap again.

 

Again it was Latour to attack first on the last climb. This time he was joined by another 3 riders. Patrick Konrad in the second group could hold the gap at about 15 seconds. Patrick Konrad finished 8th at 33 seconds. In the GC he moved up to 7th place.

 

“Patrick did really ride a strong race today. You have to take into account he just finished his first Tour de France and I was not sure if he is fully recovered yet. But he proved his good shape today. At the end there was another one from us missing to help him. It is hard to be alone with all these attacks. But after the illness of Gregor Mühlberger we have no other real climber next to Patrick here. So I am really happy with the result,” Christian Pömer, sports director, said.

 

“I waited a little too long when the decisive attack was launched, but when there are attacks all the time it is impossible to jump every time. Now I hope that tomorrow my legs are as good as today because it will be another hard stage and still a lot is possible,” Patrick Konrad said.

 

Pierre-Luc Perichon: I didn’t deserve to the most aggressive rider

Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fortuneo Vital Concept) was the most aggressive rider.

 

 "I managed to escape with Perrig Quémeneur and Rémy Di Gregorio,” he told Directvelo. “At one point, I would have liked us to wait a little for Valentine Madouas to optimize our chances but it could not be done. I did not have great legs and I tried to follow and hope they would come back a bit but it was complicated. Rémy (Di Gregorio) worked really hard and when he accelerated on the Côte de Giron, I could not follow them. I have not even managed to make make it to the top of the Col de Menthières with the peloton. So I ended up with the grupetto. I think Perrig and Rémy largely deserved the prize as much as me. My regional status may have played in my favor. "

 

Swiss youngster shows his class in Ain queen stage

Kilian Frankiny (Switzerland) was 15th.

 

"The stage was very difficult,” he told Directvelo. “There were constantly climbs and descents. I do not regret having missed the group of five who attacked at the bottom of the climb to Lélex. It was too hard for me to join them. I felt good today. This is encouraging for the future. "

Movistar neo-pro proves his potential in Ain queen stage

Antonio Pedrero's arrival in the Movistar Team was more than a reward for consistency in his amateur phase. The 24-year-old climber from Terrassa joined the WorldTour ranks in Eusebio Unzué's squad to excel in tremendous stages like Friday's mountain trek in the Tour de l'Ain: 141.4km, with five difficult climbs, between Nantua and Lélex Monts-Jura. It wasn't a bad day for the squad's other Catalan rider, Marc Soler, runner-up in June's Route du Sud and strong until the Col de Menthières, the day's prelude to the only mountain-top finish in the race.

 

It took long to form the early breakaway, with several attempts not sticking on the first col de Samognat, which Jorge Arcas crested in 3rd spot to signal the José Luis Laguía-led group's hopes to chase glory in this day. It wasn't until 40km in, after the montée de Viry, when Périchon, Quémeneur and Di Grégorio led the way freely. On Menthières (1ª), the peloton exploded into pieces, with a decisive, 16-man split including Pedrero and Soler. The man from Barcelona was the Blues' top performer of the day, 16th at 38” from Dutchman Sam Oomen, who also seized control of the yellow leader's jersey. Soler (25th) and Arcas (33rd) finished at around five minutes from the leaders, not far following a tough day which preceded tomorrow's showdown in eastern France. 132.2km are scheduled for Saturday, over the cols of Rochette (Cat-2) and Grand Colombier (Cat-1) prior to a long descent into Belley.

 

Recovering Robert Gesink not able to follow the best in French mountains

Robert Gesink finished 21st in the third stage the Tour de l’Ain today in France. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s front man, who was tested for the first time since his crash in the Tour de Suisse, wasn’t able to follow the best climbers, but came away with confidence. Sam Oomen (Giant - Alpecin) won the stage and took the overall lead.

 

“The race exploded on the final climb,” Sports Director Nico Verhoeven said. “13 riders made a difference. Robert Gesink had to test himself for the first time since June when he crashed. He wasn’t able to go along with the best, but he wasn’t too far behind at the top of the climb.

 

“He is coming from far behind. He is taking his first steps during this race, so he isn’t already at the point he has to be. You can see, though, he’s really made progress.”

 

“This result isn’t something to be very proud of, of course,” Gesink added. “I know that those months of inactivity are not in my favour. I need some race rhythm to get back at my old level. I always want to deliver something beautiful, but this race presents a possibility to test myself most of all. This helps me to improve.”

 

“Tomorrow, Robert has another hard stage to come,” Verhoeven said. “There are two tough climbs in the stage, and the Colombière is one of them. We’re not going to compete for the victory though, because Robert needs some time.”

 

Matteo Trentin targets points jersey at Tour de l’Ain

It took for more than an hour to witness the birth of a breakaway, but before that happened, Etixx – Quick-Step's Matteo Trentin – GC leader from day one – won the sole intermediate sprint of stage 3, at Arbent, a regular feature on the course of the race.

 

Having around 4 200 meters of climbing packed in less than 150 kilometers, stage 3 of the Tour de l'Ain was one of the most testing of the season and led to a day of suffering for many riders. Despite the grueling parcours, Matteo Trentin rode a strong race and overcome this test, cementing his first place in the points rankings before Saturday's mountainous stage between Lagnieu and Belley (132.2 kilometers), which will put an end to the French event.

 

"Actually my day was not so bad,” he told Directvelo. “I won the intermediate sprint in Arbent which consolidates the green jersey. Regarding the yellow jersey, I had no illusions and we did not try to defend it. When I saw that I could not follow the main group, I chose to finish quietly to keep the power for tomorrow which will be another difficult day. We will try to keep the green jersey until the end. It's certain.”

 

Difficult queen stage for Stölting at the Tour de l’Ain

Stage 3 of the Tour de l’ain (2.1) was a challenge for the Team Stölting Service Group riders with its five classified climbs. Christian Mager finished 27th after 141.4 crisscrossing the Jura mountains.

 

At the start of the stage from Nantua to Lélex Monts-Jura, Thomas Koep made it into a sizeable breakaway; but they weren’t let go and reeled in on the first climb of the day. After his efforts Koep was so exhausted that he had to abandon the race.

 

Afterwards it took a while for the next break to form. Only after about 50 km did three riders get away. Their maximum advantage was 3:45 minutes, but the trio disintegrated on the day’s fifth climb where they were eventually caught. With the best climbers attacking each other on that climb and the uphill final kilometres to the finish, Christian Mager rode at his own pace and finished in a group 5:27 minutes behind stage winner Sam Oomen (Team Giant – Alpecin) who also takes the overall lead.

 

Sports Director André Steensen said after the stage: “We had Thomas in the first breakaway, but FDJ chased them down quickly. That was bad luck as it looked as if the group was let go at first. When Thomas was caught he was done for. Sven [Reutter] and especially Lennard [Kämna] were very active after that, trying to get into a group. A big breakaway often stays out for a long time in those French races – but it was a constant up and down, and eventually only three riders got away; we didn’t want to go and exhaust us in a group like that.”

 

“Christian did well,” Steensen continued. “He did what he could, but he’s no pure climber. He finished in a strong group, and ahead of him you had riders like Gesink and Jungels. It was a good performance. Tomorrow will be another tough day. The GC isn’t decided yet; I think that AG2R La Mondiale will try to open the race for Latour who is really strong here.”

 

Remy Di Gregorio takes the mountains jersey after strong ride in Ain queen stage

Remy Di Gregorio took the mountains jersey.

 

"The goal for the team was to have a rider in front,” he told Directvelo. “It was me. The objective was clearly to go for the stage win. Unfortunately, they rode really fast behind and there was little room for maneuver. When we had four minutes, we thought it was possible, especially since the agreement was good. At the bottom of Menthières, we could have made it with 2 minutes but it was only 50 seconds when we started the ascent. It was impossible. The goal was first the stage win but I took the opportunity to gof for the mountains jersey. Tomorrow, we'll see how the legs are because I really used a lot of energy today. This will decide whether I can defend the jersey.”