Groupama-FDJ Trio Ready to Shake up the 2024 Tour of Flanders

They know numerical superiority. While she had approached the 2024 season with the idea that the duo Stefan Küng – Valentin Madouas had what it took to, why not, by taking advantage of a particular scenario, win a great classic, a Monument. To this duo, we can add Laurence Pithie, who was on Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and on Ghent-Wevelgem on the verge of falling with those who were vying for victory. Three men who can count is a luxury and even more so in the configuration of the Tour of Flanders which is announced on Sunday.

The Visma but also the Lidl-Trek and the Intermarché – Wanty, all teams which can aspire to win the Tour of Flanders and which suffered in their chair on Wednesday on A Travers la Flandre. The first lost Wout van Aert, the second Jasper Stuyven and are wondering about Mads Pedersen like the last for Biniam Girmay. So much data which changes the face of a “Ronde” which seems offered to Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

Mathieu van der Poel wins the 2022 Tour of Flanders, Valentin Madouas is on the podium… not Tadej Pogacar

Credit: Getty Images

It is precisely this state of affairs which makes this 2024 Tour of Flanders more uncertain than its two previous ones, when the big guns were two as in 2022 (Van der Poel and Pogacar) or three as in 2023 (Van der Poel, Pogacar, Van Aert). We say quite logically that the Dutchman’s opponents will have to sow discord to beat him. And this scenario could not please Groupama-FDJ more.

Madouas-Küng and team play

Third surprise in 2022, Valentin Madouas had sown some serious clues about his propensity to shine in these races. Fifth and sixth over the last two seasons, Stefan Küng still believes in his chances of making a big Flandrian coup.

“We know that this year will be better than previous years, we have a stronger collective, leaders with more experience, the Breton told us at the start of the season before, already, talking about the team race . Now we know how to race with Stefan, we know that we have this chance to be two in the final of each race. To beat them, the fact of being two will be a big advantage. We will be able to play tactically, and I hope to go for a classic.”

“To be able to beat the big guys, we must both take advantage of their rivalry but also highlight our advantage, confirmed the Swiss at the same time. We have several cards and this year I think that will be even more the case than the others . Which will make us stronger in these races.”

Was the great Küng already hoping for the advent of Laurence Pithie? We can doubt it as his explosion for his second season took everyone by surprise, including his training which must now work hard to keep him in 2025 while a strong interest from Bora-Hansgrohe is mentioned.

Pithie, the other card to play?

“I’m not that far away anymore. I think I was in good company with the world champion and the ex-world champion… It bodes well for the future,” smiled the New Zealander after Ghent -Wevelgem 2024 where he was a few seconds away from accompanying Mathieu Van der Poel and Mads Pedersen.

The 270 kilometers will perhaps be too indigestible for him but what he has shown already makes him a card to play at the right time for Groupama-FDJ. “Van der Poel in great shape, we have seen he is hard to beat in one-day races but he has not won everything in 2023 either, analyzes Küng. I am thinking of a Dylan van Baarle in Paris -Roubaix, I have everything to do the same.” In 2022, the Dutchman had anticipated the call by a long way to win at the Roubaix Vélodrome.

This is how Groupama-FDJ will inevitably play and that’s good because it’s also what other teams will try. Going with the punches and praying that it’s the right one, that’s the idea. Simple on paper, difficult in reality since there will be, besides Van der Poel, other riders a priori superior to the Groupama-FDJ trio on paper. But it’s because it’s a trio that this squad has its chance. She would be wrong not to believe it as this Tour of Flanders promises to be unlike any other.

2024-03-28 23:16:00
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