Mickaël Leveau: “Our eight riders at the start showed their mettle”.
“We seized every opportunity right up to the end of this Giro. Ewen broke away, he went into the lead at the Intergiro. I think those are always good moments in a rider’s career. The next objective was to work for Donavan in preparation for the sprint, on an urban circuit that suits him. He takes 10th place and shows that he’s finishing this Giro in good conditions.”
“At the start of this Giro d’Italia, we made the choice of fielding a young team with the ambition of discovering and storing up experience over a 3-week effort. We tried to seize as many opportunities as possible, with Ewen, Michel Ries or Alessandro Verre, which were sometimes cancelled out by the battle of the overall favourites. Our eight riders at the start showed their mettle and spirit – I’m thinking of the activity of Jenthe Biermans (4th in Fossano) and David Dekker on the stages promised to the sprinters, and of Alan Riou’s work for his team-mates. Ewen Costiou, in his first Grand Tour, showed great promise over the three weeks, experiencing highs (a first top 10 on a stage) and lows (a crash in the 2nd week) that will shape him for years to come. Donavan Grondin, also a neophyte on this type of event, showed consistency. These experiences should enable them all to reach a new level.
All the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team riders taking part in this Giro d’Italia must make the most of these three weeks, which will be as demanding as ever.
