4 Jours de Dunkerque, Clément Russo 7th overall
While he was in contention for the victory, Dan McLay was caught in a big crash with less than 100 meters to go in Aniche. Clément Russo, who has taken some bonifications, is now 7th in the provisional overall classification.
Photo GettyImages
On the line
“The stage became more and more animated from the beginning of the final, the break was caught early and this contributed to make the race more difficult. We were present at the front, involved and we couldn’t get caught. The objective was to try to compete for the bonifications because it is always interesting and I was able to win one. That’s good. The ambition in the final was to work in favour of Dan, we were able to place him well, the sprint was pretty clean until that terrible crash. Dan is not rewarded. He was not far from being able to win. It’s a pity for him because he’s a really good guy. You can see on all the pictures that he suffers that crash. It’s really the black spot of our day”.”
The debrief
“We had established a strategy at the beginning of the stage that the riders respected until the end. I am satisfied with the work done by the Arkéa-Samsic team. Clément had the opportunity to compete for a bonus and he did it. That always puts the car in a good position and it can also open up prospects for the future. After that, the crash less than 100 metres from the finish in the middle of a sprint, unfortunately so close to the line, in the final, is terrible for Dan. I am waiting to see the decisions that the referees and the president of the jury will take at the end, but what counts for me is the state of health of Dan who went to the ground at full speed and who is in a way the co-lateral victim of this fall, because he did not commit the slightest fault.