Louis Rouland secures the GC top 5
10th in a lively final stage, Louis Rouland finished the Circuit des Ardennes 2024 in 5th place overall.
“I’m satisfied with the last four days. I know that there’s still room for improvement, particularly tactically, as the podium is decided by bonifications. Today, I was once again very well supported by the whole ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team. In the final laps, I gave everything I had to keep in touch with the frontrunners in order to get the best possible result.”
“Our riders were keen to do well today to surround Louis and put him in the best possible conditions. Perhaps too much at times and we blew a few shots a little early on. But that’s also part of the learning process. We had Florian Dauphin in the breakaway. The aim was to be one step ahead if things changed and a bonus was possible. In the final, Louis Rouland showed that he was physically very strong. The whole ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team showed a great spirit this week in a very tough class 2. Louis finished in the top 5, which became more and more apparent as the days went by. This shows that he has the potential to aim higher in this type of event. It’s one of the ways in which he’s progressing. We’ve been waiting for a good result since the start of the season and we’ve got it. It’s a reward for all the hard work we’ve put in, and now we need to keep going in that direction.”