2021 Faun Ardèche Classic (1.Pro), France
21st edition: Saturday, February 27, 2021
Faun Ardèche Classic podium history | 2020 edition | 2022 edition
Guilherand-Granges - Guilherand-Granges, 171.3 km
David Gaudu gets a sit-up win. Groupama-FDJ photo
Weather at the start/finish city of Guilherand-Granges at 1:50 PM, local time: 9C (48F), cloudy, with the wnd from the north at31 km/hr (20 mph). There is a 7% chance of rain.
The race: Here's the report from winner David Gaudu's Groupama-FDJ team:
David Gaudu today took the first win of the season for the team. After a great display on the Tour of the Alpes-Maritimes and Var last week, the Frenchman from Groupama-FDJ managed to pull it off in the Faun-Ardèche Classic. Excelling both in the climbs and in the downhills on Saturday, he eventually won after a two-man sprint, thus grabbing his first victory of the year. Thibaut Pinot also made it into the day’s top 10 (8th).
At the start of the Faun-Ardèche Classic on Saturday morning in Guilherand-Granges, David Gaudu and Groupama-FDJ were often named as the main favourites for the race. “We knew that others would look at us, and that we would have to take control of the race,” said the young man from Brittany much later. “And that’s what we did. We took our responsibilities with Clément, who rode behind the breakaway for a long time”. It took an hour for the break to go, and it eventually included: Orluis Aular (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates), Valentin Ferron (Total Direct Energie), Stuart Balfour (Swiss Racing Academy) and Delio Fernandez (Delko). However, their lead never went past the five-minute mark. Clément Davy, Ignatas Konovalovas and other teams then brought the bunch back very close after the second time over the Val d’Enfer (1.6 km at 10%), also set to be the final climb of the day. The action however started earlier. In the sequence of the Mur de Cornas and the Saint-Romain-de-Lerps climb, the favourites got isolated and David Gaudu showed he was in a good day as he covered the multiple attacks of Hugh Carthy. “It was pretty explosive in the last thirty kilometers,” said David. “The fight started from far out.”
Approaching the summit of the Saint-Romain-de-Lerps climb, the two-time stage winner on the Vuelta made a sharp acceleration to catch Carthy and got rid of all of his opponents except Clément Champoussin. The two young Frenchmen then bridged the gap in the downhill and the rider from Groupama-FDJ even took a few meters. “I found myself all alone after the downhill, so I kept going but I still kept energy, he said. When I saw that they were getting closer, I saved myself a bit in order to give my all in the end.”
There was then a trio going for the final climb of the day. The Breton tried to drop his two rivals, but it proved unsuccessful. The downhill eventually did more damage. “We saw that Carthy was not so comfortable on the descent, so I wanted to try to accelerate,” said David. “We took a few meters and I said to Clément: he must not come back! We work together until the 500 meters and then we fight for the win”. The two riders did work together for the last three kilometers, Carthy never came back and it all came down to a two-man sprint. Although he launched it from the leading position, David Gaudu could use his explosiveness to come to the line as the winner.
“I was confident in the final,” he said minutes after the finish. “I knew I had a bit of speed, although Clément also has some punch. I’m very happy that I managed to win and bring this victory to the team. It certainly gives confidence, especially in such a good race with such a competition. Now the real goal is Paris-Nice and I hope to keep this momentum and to keep that shape.” Sixth in the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var last weekend after three top-10, David Gaudu managed to finish it off today, also allowing the team to open its account in 2021. “We are all happy,” said Thibaut Pinot, eighth on the line forty seconds later. “This is the first win of the season for the team, it paves the way for all of us. Personally, I struggled for a bit in the longest climb, but I felt better in the end. I was able to come back in the last climb and I’m still happy with my day”. First man at work on Saturday, Clément Davy also finished the race a few minutes later, with a smile on his face. “We were in the gruppetto with Kono when David crossed the line”, he said. “We heard it on the radio but weren’t sure. Then, the spectators who stayed to cheer told us that David had won. We could then get to the line quite happy”.
Sunday, David Gaudu will also take part in the Royal Bernard Drôme Classic, but wants to remain cautious: “We are not the only ones who can win. It’s a completely different profile, a completely different race, where positioning is really important. Other riders will also be on the startlist and we probably won’t have the pressure we had today. Maybe it will be up to the others to do the work.”
Complete Results:
171.3 kilometers raced at an average speed of 37.701 km/hr
| 1 | GAUDU David | Groupama-FDJ | 4hr 32min 37sec |
| 2 | CHAMPOUSSIN Clément | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
| 3 | CARTHY Hugh | EF Education-Nippo | @ 11sec |
| 4 | HONORE Mikke | Deceuninck-Quick Step | 0:28 |
| 5 | GODON Dorian | Ag2r-Citroën | 0:40 |
| 6 | VLASOV Aleksandr | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 7 | PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien | Ag2r-Citroën | 0:42 |
| 8 | PINOT Thibaut | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
| 9 | HIVERT Jonathan | B&B Hotels | 0:46 |
| 10 | SIMMONS Quinn | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 11 | BARGUIL Warren | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
| 12 | COSTA Rui | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 13 | HUYS Laurens | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
| 14 | TULETT Ben | Alpecin-Fenix | s.t. |
| 15 | CARR Simon | EF Education-Nippo | s.t. |
| 16 | MARTIN Guillaume | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 17 | IZAGIRRE Ion | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 18 | FUGLSANG Jakob | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 19 | HERRADA Jesús | Cofidis | 1:16 |
| 20 | ROTA Lorenzo | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | s.t. |
| 21 | PACHER Quentin | B&B Hotels | s.t. |
| 22 | DIAZ José | Delko | s.t. |
| 23 | GESCHKE Simon | Cofidis | 1:19 |
| 24 | JANSSENS Jimmy | Alpecin-Fenix | 1:34 |
| 25 | ARU Fabio | Qhubeka-Assos | s.t. |
| 26 | POWER Robert | Qhubeka-Assos | 1:39 |
| 27 | SERRY Pieter | Deceuninck-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 28 | REICHENBACH Sébastien | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
| 29 | LASTRA Jonathan | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 30 | PICCOLI James | Israel Start-Up Nation | 2:26 |
| 31 | SKUJINS Toms | Trek-Segafredo | 2:32 |
| 32 | SIMON Julien | Total Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 33 | EIKING Odd | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | s.t. |
| 34 | SCHMID Mauro | Qhubeka-Assos | s.t. |
| 35 | SCHONBERGER Sebastian | B&B Hotels | s.t. |
| 36 | LAMMERTINK Maurits | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | s.t. |
| 37 | BOUET Maxime | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
| 38 | MOSCA Jacopo | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 39 | DELAPLACE Anthony | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
| 40 | COVI Alessandro | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 41 | BERNARD Julien | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 42 | HAGEN Carl | Israel Start-Up Nation | s.t. |
| 43 | GUGLIELMI Simon | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
| 44 | DOUBEY Fabien | Total Direct Energie | 2:35 |
| 45 | BAGIOLI Andrea | Deceuninck-Quick Step | 2:38 |
| 46 | HOULE Hugo | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 47 | BURGAUDEAU Mathieu | Total Direct Energie | 3:14 |
| 48 | GUERNALEC Thibault | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
| 49 | WIRTGEN Luc | Bingoal-WB | 3:40 |
| 50 | NIV Guy | Israel Start-Up Nation | s.t. |
| 51 | RODRIGUEZ Oscar | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 52 | PRONSKIY Vadim | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 53 | MOLLY Kenny | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
| 54 | BAKELANTS Jan | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | s.t. |
| 55 | URRUTY Maxime | Xelliss-Roubaix-Lille Métropole | s.t. |
| 56 | REUTIMANN Mathias | Swiss Racing Academy | 4:10 |
| 57 | EDET Nicolas | Cofidis | 4:31 |
| 58 | PRODHOMME Nicolas | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
| 59 | GASTAUER Ben | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
| 60 | GAUTIER Cyril | B&B Hotels | s.t. |
| 61 | ARMIRAIL Bruno | Groupama-FDJ | 5:34 |
| 62 | GRELLIER Fabien | Total Direct Energie | 6:15 |
| 63 | VAKOC Petr | Alpecin-Fenix | 6:32 |
| 64 | IRISARRI Jon | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 65 | OWSIAN Lukasz | Arkéa-Samsic | 7:04 |
| 66 | PETERS Nans | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
| 67 | NIBALI Antonio | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 68 | MARTIN Sergio | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | 7:48 |
| 69 | DEVENYNS Dries | Deceuninck-Quick Step | 8:11 |
| 70 | DELACROIX Theo | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | 8:18 |
| 71 | CONTI Valerio | UAE-Team Emirates | 9:24 |
| 72 | MUNOZ Cristian | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 73 | MURGUIALDAY Jokin | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 74 | OURSELIN Paul | Total Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 75 | BARRENETXEA Jon | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 76 | SBARAGLI Kristian | Alpecin-Fenix | s.t. |
| 77 | FRAILE Omar | Astana-Premier Tech | s.t. |
| 78 | CUADROS Alvaro | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 79 | CATAFORD Alexander | Israel Start-Up Nation | s.t. |
| 80 | BELLICAUD Jeremy | Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | s.t. |
| 81 | PICHON Laurent | Arkéa-Samsic | s.t. |
| 82 | EL FARES Julien | EF Education-Nippo | s.t. |
| 83 | DE ROSSI Lucas | Delko | s.t. |
| 84 | FEDELI Alessandro | Delko | s.t. |
| 85 | FRANKINY Kilian | Qhubeka-Assos | s.t. |
| 86 | BALFOUR Stuart | Swiss Racing Academy | s.t. |
| 87 | DEWULF Stan | Ag2r-Citroën | s.t. |
| 88 | RIES Michel | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 89 | MERTZ Rémy | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
| 90 | CERNY Josef | Deceuninck-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 91 | VACEK Karel | Qhubeka-Assos | s.t. |
| 92 | CAVAGNA Rémi | Deceuninck-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 93 | BONNAMOUR Franck | B&B Hotels | s.t. |
| 94 | PAASSCHENS Mathijs | Bingoal-WB | s.t. |
| 95 | DE MARCHI Alessandro | Israel Start-Up Nation | s.t. |
| 96 | FERRON Valentin | Total Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 97 | PAILLOT Yoann | St Michel-Auber 93 | 10:45 |
| 98 | LEDANOIS Kévin | Arkéa-Samsic | 11:39 |
| 99 | LÜSCHER Damian | Swiss Racing Academy | s.t. |
| 100 | AULAR Orluis | Caja Rural-Seguros RGA | s.t. |
| 101 | VOISARD Yannis | Swiss Racing Academy | s.t. |
| 102 | DELETTRE Alexandre | Delko | s.t. |
| 103 | BARCELO Fernando | Cofidis | s.t. |
| 104 | IMPEY Daryl | Israel Start-Up Nation | 13:40 |
| 105 | KAMP Alexander | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
| 106 | NAKANE Hideto | EF Education-Nippo | s.t. |
| 107 | LIETAER Eliot | B&B Hotels | s.t. |
| 108 | THIERY Cyrille | Swiss Racing Academy | s.t. |
| 109 | RIABUSHENKO Alexandr | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 110 | BETTIOL Alberto | EF Education-Nippo | s.t. |
| 111 | CORT Magnus | EF Education-Nippo | s.t. |
| 112 | CENTRONE Ivan | Xelliss-Roubaix-Lille Métropole | s.t. |
| 113 | GAILLARD Marlon | Total Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 114 | BOILEAU Alan | B&B Hotels | 15:34 |
| 115 | WALSLEBEN Philipp | Alpecin-Fenix | 16:13 |
| 116 | PERICHON Pierre-Luc | Cofidis | 16:18 |
| 117 | BAYER Tobias | Alpecin-Fenix | s.t. |
| 118 | BERTHET Clément | Delko | s.t. |
| 119 | OLIVEIRA Ivo | UAE-Team Emirates | 19:10 |
| 120 | OLIVEIRA Rui | UAE-Team Emirates | s.t. |
| 121 | KONOVALOVAS Ignatas | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |
| 122 | DAVY Clément | Groupama-FDJ | s.t. |