Tom Donnenwirth just outside the top-10 in Wallonia

# Tom Donnenwirth Falters but Fights Back in Tour de Wallonie

As the illustrious Tour de France wraps up, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team shifts its focus to another challenging race—the Tour de Wallonie. Kicking off on Saturday, the first stage was marked by a slightly uphill sprint in Nassogne, where Corbin Strong clinched the victory. Tom Donnenwirth made an impressive comeback by being the first athlete from his team to cross the line, securing a solid twelfth place.

The stage began with a tricky 2.7-kilometre climb at an incline of 4%. “The plan was for Tom to go for it if it was a bunch finish, because he’s quite fast in uphill sprints,” said team director Frédéric Guesdon. However, the day took a tumultuous turn for the young French puncher when he was involved in a crash approximately fifty kilometers into the race, while a five-man breakaway had already established a lead.

“We were a little scared,” Frédéric continued. “At first, I thought he had broken his collarbone. Actually, he dislocated his shoulder; they put it back on the side of the road, and he was able to get going again.” Meanwhile, the peloton took control of the race, managing the breakaway as they set their sights on the impending sprint finish.

“It was a classic scenario,” Frédéric explained, noting how teams like Israel-Premier Tech and Lidl-Trek maintained the chase smoothly given the race’s relatively obstacle-free layout. As they entered the final loop around Nassogne, the leading group dwindled down to two riders after the final intermediate sprint.

Despite a rough start, Donnenwirth’s tenacity shone through. Yet, Frédéric noted, “Tom wasn’t too confident.” The final hills proved challenging as Ludovic Robeet, the last of the breakaway, was caught just two kilometers before the finish line. “We wanted to take control in the final, but the guys got a bit outflanked,” Frédéric commented.

With only 70-80 kilometers left, Donnenwirth was uncertain if he would perform well in the final sprint. “I told him to wait, that there was still time,” Frédéric recounted. Ultimately, with encouragement from his teammates, Donnenwirth participated in the sprint, achieving a respectable twelfth place. “We were hoping for a little better, but we also expected the climb to be a little harder,” he added.

Corbin Strong’s victory highlighted the competitive spirit of the day, while all Groupama-FDJ riders, except Olivier Le Gac, finished well within the leading peloton of around 80 cyclists. With the next stage on Sunday covering 153 kilometers between Huy and Sambreville, Frédéric remarked that “the course is a bit undulating. We don’t have the fastest guys for flat finishes, so we’ll have to be very careful at the start and why not be offensive.”

The upcoming stages promise to be just as challenging, and fans await to see how Donnenwirth and his teammates adapt to the road ahead.