Romain Grégoire 18th in a frustrating Milan-Sanremo

# Romain Grégoire’s Frustrating 18th Place in Milan-Sanremo

This year’s Milan-Sanremo marked a challenging beginning to the cycling season for Romain Grégoire and the Groupama-FDJ United team. Struggling to gain traction against Tadej Pogacar during a crucial moment on the Cipressa, the young cyclist from Besançon finished the race in 18th place, just four seconds behind Pogacar, who clinched the victory.

Held on the first day of spring, the race began in Pavia, covering just over 300 kilometers, with riders eagerly anticipating the challenges of the Cipressa and the Poggio climbs. The field started with a traditional breakaway of nine riders, initially maintained under tight control by the peloton. However, as the race progressed past the Passo del Turchino, the gap to the breakaway began to widen. Philippe Mauduit noted, “We were used to a frantic pace as soon as we reached the coast in previous editions… This year, with the headwind, it was a bit more controlled.”

Tensions escalated when Pogacar was caught in a crash, stirring up the peloton ahead of the crucial Cipressa. Grégoire commented, “We were a bit lost at the foot of the Cipressa because UAE wasn’t at the front… Then Pogacar came back from nowhere, and everything immediately kicked off.” This pivotal moment saw Pogacar use his teammates to raise the pace before launching an attack 2,500 meters from the summit.

Reflecting on his position during the race, Grégoire admitted, “I was positioned around 15th–20th, but on the Cipressa, that’s already too far back.” Only Pogacar, Tom Pidcock, and Mathieu van der Poel broke away, leaving the remaining peloton significantly trailing.

As the race transitioned towards the Poggio, Grégoire remained optimistic, stating, “I thought it could come back together and that I might still hope for something great in the last two kilometres.” Despite this hope, Pogacar and Pidcock reached the top of the Poggio with a fifteen-second lead and performed well in the sprint towards the finish.

In the surrounding peloton, Grégoire ultimately finished 18th, with teammates Bastien Tronchon and Clément Braz Afonso placing 21st and 29th, respectively. “I got completely jostled in the sprint and was way too far back with one kilometre to go,” he confessed. “It felt like I was following all day without really being an active part of the race. It’s very frustrating.”

Philippe Mauduit expressed disappointment with the team’s performance, stating, “We didn’t come here for this. The scenario wasn’t what we had dreamed of, but we have to adapt. That said, the guys were courageous and fought with what they had today.” The team will look to regroup and harness their experiences as they move deeper into the cycling season.