Louis Rouland in the top 5 before the last stage
A Aiglemont, Louis Rouland a pris la 7ème place de la 3ème étape du Circuit des Ardennes. Il progresse au classement général et est ce soir 5ème de ce dernier.
“It was another difficult, hilly stage and we drove fast all day. I’m happy with the result and the way it felt. I’d really like to thank my team-mates, but also the staff, who have been working hard since the start to put me in the best possible shape. Tomorrow, the final circuit will be quite tricky. The gaps in the overall classification between the top five are pretty tight. It promises to be a big battle with potentially some great things to come.”
“It’s a great result for the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS developpement team. The team ran very well today. This morning I insisted on positioning and team spirit. The lads respected that. Louis Rouland’s instructions were to keep an eye on certain riders ‘highlighted’ on the paper, as they say. And that’s exactly what he did. Tonight he is 5th in the overall classification, in the same time as the 4th-placed rider and a few dozen seconds ahead of the 6th-placed rider. The only regret is that the podium will come down to bonus points, but we’ve still got one more stage to go. Today, I’d also like to give a special mention to Jean-Loup Fayolle. He was one of the youngest riders at the start, and he finished in the front of the pack behind Louis. It’s great to see him at this level, as is the overall level of the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS Développement team. We’re still learning, but this great momentum is a reward for the work done since the start of the season by the riders and the staff. Tomorrow, we’ll have a final stage with fewer gradients but a tricky circuit through the streets of Sedan. Anything is still possible.”