Kévin Vauquelin finishes 8th of the opening ITT
Kévin Vauquelin got the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS Tirreno-Adriatico off to a flying start with 8th place in the opening time trial.
Photos : Getty & A. Lipke
“The ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team’s strategy, validated by the team managers and coaches, was to start among the frontrunners because the weather conditions were changing, with the possibility of rain towards the end of this individual time trial in Lido di Camaiore. I raced in dry conditions. I’m happy with my time and the way I felt. I opted for the same tactical choice as in Bessèges, I didn’t put on a counter so as not to see my watts developed. I just wanted to ride fast. I took my turns well, I did everything right. I put in my maximum effort. I set a good time and got ahead of some good riders. I’ve got the week off to a good start, and every second counts in a race like Tirreno-Adriatico. It’s good for my confidence, but also for the whole ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team”.
“There were almost all the world’s top specialists at the start of the individual time trial in this Tirreno-Adriatico 2024. Kévin Vauquelin beat two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard here at Lido de Camaiore. He’s right up there with riders who often win time trials at UCI WorldTour level. This is his second top 10 finish in this discipline at this level of competition, which shows that he is starting to become a regular against such opponents. He put in a very fine performance, which makes me optimistic for the rest of the week”.