Connor Swift: "Even if I was unlucky, I enjoy Paris-Tours"
Connor Swift, who had a puncture on both wheels when he was in front in Vouvray, is pleased with the race of the Arkéa-Samsic team on the classic “feuilles mortes”, and the 10th place of Amaury Capiot on the Avenue de Grammont. Matîs Louvel also signed an encouraging top 18.
On the line
“I had a good condition today, but it was not extraordinary. I have a bit of trouble since my recovery to make big efforts, I can produce one but without being able to link them together. It’s a pity because we had some objectives here and I would have liked to finish in the top 5 or even on the podium for Arkéa-Samsic, but it wasn’t possible today”.
“Paris-Tours is a nice race that I enjoy, but every time I can’t manage to get a good result here. This year it was again the case. We really rode at the front, being well placed with five riders in the first bordure. Kévin attacked on the first sector of the vineyards, which was really interesting because it allowed us to anticipate. When he was caught, I attacked with two other riders. It was ideal because the guys behind could follow the moves without making any effort. Unfortunately, I broke both wheels, front and rear, on the same section of the vineyard road in Vouvray. I lost some time and my race was over. Amaury finished in the top 10, we were hoping for more, but it is still a good result. On a classic like this you have to be lucky, on the next races you can still win but also this classic in the future”.
“We had five riders in front after the break, and Donavan and I were behind in the second break. The gap never went up, and I didn’t panic. I knew that once we entered the roads it would attack, and that my peloton would make the effort to make the jump and come back to the front. I stayed calm, I didn’t panic, I always followed the first group of the peloton and by counting my efforts, I was able to catch up with the first peloton at the end of the race. The acceleration of Démare on the last climb made me lose contact. I had a cartridge, I knew I only had one, and when he attacked I knew right away that it was going to be complicated. I tried to follow, but I exploded.
The debrief
“We anticipated well the move of the border that dynamised this 114th edition of Paris-Tours, as we managed to place five riders out of the thirty-seven that went to the front. We, Arkéa-Samsic, were the best represented team at the front, but when you come to a classic like Paris-Tours, you know the race conditions that you can meet with the vineyard roads, and the possible punctures, for us it was the one of Connor when he was in front. These are the hazards of this race. But that’s not what I want to dwell on, I prefer to remember the attitude of our team on this classic with a clear desire to go forward, to create movement. That’s what Kevin and Connor did in turn. We had a good squad here, we had some bad luck, but I want to highlight the positive aspects of our race. One thing is certain, we will come back to this classic with ambition as we did this year”.