Trentin Wins The Paris-Tours
Last updated : 11 October 2015 By Covsupport News Service
Etixx Quick Step's Matteo Trentin has won the 109th Paris-Tours race.
This 231km race from Chartres to Tours saw around twenty five riders including three from Etixx Quick Step, in a lead group for most of the stage.
With 38 kilometres to go, they had a lead of 2.34 over a second group before Lotto Soudal increased the pace with three climbs remaining.
Julian Duval launched an attack which split the front group with 23 kms left but he was brought back to heel and Gerard and Combaud took over on the front before being reeled in with ten kilometres remaining.
LottoNL-Jumbo had riders on the front but Matteo Trentin of Etixx Quick Step put in a big attack and was followed by Pawel Brutt, Greg Van Avermaet and a Lotto Soudal rider in Tosh Van der Sande.
Brutt was dropped as they took a fifteen second lead which went out to twenty four seconds.
The gap further increased by another five seconds with two kilometres remaining.
Into the final kilometre and Matteo Trentin led it out but Van Avermaet suffed a mechanical and sat up. So Trentin carried on and took the victory in a time of 4.39.12 ahead of Tosh Van der Sande, Greg Van Avermaet who was four seconds back and then at twenty seconds back, Tiesj Benoot, Roy Jans, Yves Lampaert, Heinrich Haussler, Edward Theuns, Mike Teunissen and Pim Ligthart of Lotto-Soudal.
"The team decided to ride for Niki Terpstra and I," Trentin said to the Etixx Quick Step press office.
"The breakaway went away immediately, in the first part of the race. Fortunately I noticed movement in the front, as people were preparing attacks in echelons. I was able to enter this breakaway with Meersman and Yves Lampaert. They did a great job for me in the race. We worked well together and the breakaway built a good advantage.
"In the first three hours, we rode at a speed of more than 51 kilometres per hour. Then we slowed down a little bit. On the penultimate climb I decided to attack. I knew it could be the key point of the race.
"In the last days I checked a few videos on YouTube, and knew that this climb was the most important in almost all of the recent editions. I attacked also to leave behind some pure sprinters, like Arnaud Demare (FDJ).
"On the last climb Van Avermaet attacked, but we managed to stay with him. So we went to the finish with three. I was afraid of Van der Sande. I knew I was the fastest of the three, but he is also a fast guy. They put me in the first position in the last kilometers. I didn't panic. I stayed cool, and at 350 meters to go I launched my sprint. I won, and I was really happy.
"After Le Tour de France, I worked hard to have a nice last part of the season. I won four races in the second half of the year. Also, in any race other than the UCI World Road Championship, I was always there. I was on a few podiums. It was also mentally important to do well today.
"I was a little disappointed at the UCI World Road Championship in Richmond. My goal was to be in the top 10, but I couldn't do it. After that race I trained even harder than before. I devoted myself completely to my preparation. This victory was the result. I've never been so strong in my career, which is a big mental boost. Year-by-year I am growing up. I hope this last part of the season can be the beginning of a new chapter of my career, and I can further improve going into next year.
This win, which is the first one-day victory of my career, gave me a lot of morale. I have big motivation to keep working hard so I can try to become a better ride. Now I will recover with my family, and in a few weeks I will start thinking about next season."
