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The Queen Stage of the Etoile de Besseges 2025 was raced in atrocious climate however, regardless of route modifications, the race nonetheless went up Le Mont Bouquet with race favorite Kevin Vauquelin of Arkea-B&B Inns placing in a brutal assault on the ultimate climb using to victory and the race lead.
Behind the 23-year-old French star noticed St Michel-Desire Residence-Auber93 duo of Thomas Champion and Nicolas Breuillard end in second and third.
The fourth stage of the race was hit by but extra horrible climate with heavy rain all through the day. The climate meant that the stage needed to be shortened from 155.7km to 135km with a loop round Saint-Quetin eliminated. Later within the stage, the Côte des Concluses was additionally taken out of the stage – taking off yet one more 16km, lowering the stage to 119km.
Spanish second division squad, Equipo Kern Pharma, had been the most recent crew to go away the race saying they’d an “absence of full security ensures.” With them leaving, together with King of the Mountains chief Axandre Van Petegem (Wagner Bazin WB) and Sasha Weemaes (Wagner Bazin WB), it left simply 70 riders within the peloton.
It took just below 30km of racing earlier than a breakaway fashioned on the base of the primary climb of the day, the Côte Clarensac, with new mountain jersey Victor Vercouillie (Flanders-Baloise) led a gaggle of 5 with Simon Dehairs (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies) and Killian Theot (Van Rysel Roubaix) with Jocelyn Baguelin (Wagner Bazin WB) briefly becoming a member of earlier than getting dropped.
The race was ridden at a excessive velocity with Arkea-B&B Inns main the bunch for his or her chief Kevin Vauquelin. The tempo was very arduous from the French WorldTour squad which compelled the break to separate as Brunel and Theot leaving Dehairs and Vercouillie left behind.
With Brunel and Theot pushing arduous out entrance the peloton noticed Cofidis be part of Arkea-B&B Inns up entrance into the final 10km. The peloton was severely lowered within the abysmal climate because the race obtained nearer and nearer to the Mont Bouquet.
The break was caught proper on the backside of Mont Bouquet with Groupama-FDJ taking up the pacing onto the climb. However it was St Michel-Desire Residence-Auber93 that put within the first strikes.
9 riders shortly opened a niche with some recovering from poor positioning as they bridged again to the leaders. Race chief, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), held on to start with however he began to slide after about 3km of using up the climb.
Moments later there was an especially highly effective assault from Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Inns) with nobody even making an attempt to observe him as he rode away solo. Behind, the chase broke down with 4 riders breaking away together with Dylan Teuns (Cofidis) and Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ).
That transfer was the decisive one, with Vauquelin ending solo with a formidable hole over shock second and third-place St Michel-Desire Residence-Auber93 riders of Thomas Champion and Nicolas Breuillard.
The third-division French crew managed to position three riders within the high six with Theo Delacroix ending in sixth place after his teammates. Different WorldTour riders together with La Fleche Wallonne winner Dylan Teuns and Luxembourg nationwide champion Kevin Geniets had been the fourth and fifth riders respectively however clearly lacked the punch in comparison with the would possibly of Vauquelin.
There was additionally a really spectacular efficiency from Maltese rider, Andrea Mifsud (Good Métropole Côte d’Azur) who managed to complete in eighth place in and amongst WorldTour riders.
Vauquelin takes a 51-second lead over Breuillard going into the ultimate stage which is ready to be a person time trial round Ales with an uphill end to the Hermitage within the city. It’s 10.6km lengthy and can make the ultimate GC of this tumultuous race.
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