Région Pays de la Loire Tour, K. Ledanois: "I know the roads..."
The Région Pays de la Loire Tour, ex-Circuit de la Sarthe, will start on Tuesday in the Vendée, using small roads and where the wind could be one of the actors of the race.
“I got sick a few days before the Roue Tourangelle. Nevertheless, I was able to resume training fairly quickly, with good sessions scheduled. I feel like I’m coming back well, I’m looking forward to this Region Pays de la Loire Tourthat I know well, even if the name of the race has changed this year. It’s a race that I’ve done well in the past, I hope it will be the same in the days to come. We have a good team at the start of this beautiful French stage race.”
“The Region Pays de la Loire Tour is an event that will bring back memories. The last time I had the chance to race very close to home was at a start in the Vendée, in Challans. I think that on Tuesday, with the succession of small roads, and potentially windy conditions, we may encounter a “Belgian classics” pattern. It could be nervous in the peloton, because we will be in the marshes, next to the windmills. We have a good team on this event, with a hard stage scheduled in the final. But we must not be trapped at the beginning of the race, on roads that I usually take in training without passing anyone.
“The Region Pays de la Loire Tour, formerly known as the Circuit de la Sarthe, allowed Kévin Vauquelin to reveal himself to the French public last year. He rode a race full of panache, with offensive cycling. We expect him this year in the same way. Kévin comes to this event with good results already obtained at the beginning of the season, and confirmed during the recent Route Adélie in Vitré. Our team will also be built around Nacer Bouhanni, who will be able to count on Laurent Pichon and Donavan Grondin to help him during the stages that may end in a sprint. So we will have multiple objectives for this 2023 edition of the Region Pays de la Loire Tour.”