Sam Watson starts with a podium
Sam Watson Surprises with Third Place Finish at Tour de la Provence Prologue
The Tour de la Provence 2024 season started with a bang as Sam Watson and his Groupama-FDJ cycling team made their mark on the prologue. Watson set the third best time, a mere eleven seconds behind the leader Mads Pedersen. According to Thierry Bricaud, “We knew that Sam would be ready.”
In a post-race interview, Watson expressed his surprise and pleasure at his podium placement, stating, “I can say I’m pleasantly surprised with third place because I don’t feel like I’m close to my best shape yet.” Reflecting on his performance, Watson admitted, “I feel I’ve made a big improvement in my time trial in the last year, so I can say that I’m beginning to like time trials.”
Groupama-FDJ coach, Thierry Bricaud, commended the team’s dedication and motivation, stating, “We approached the day with a lot of motivation and commitment, like we always do on the time trials.”
The team’s overall performance left Bricaud optimistic about their future races. He highlighted, “It’s pretty good, we are in the mix in case of a lively race in the coming days, especially Saturday, which is more complicated, with also difficult weather conditions.”
With the upcoming stages posing new challenges, including possible rain and difficult weather conditions, Watson remained optimistic, saying, “We have a lot of guys here who can do well.”
As the Tour de la Provence progresses, Watson and his team are poised to continue making a strong impact in the race.
