01 April 2023

Itzulia, A. Gérard: "a good way for C. Champoussin to improve his leadership"

On the Itzulia Basque Country, Clément Champoussin will take on the role of sole leader of the Arkéa-Samsic team for the first time with the aim of achieving the best possible overall classification in Eibar.

Cristián Rodríguez

“The Itzulia Basque Country is a very demanding race, it is a UCI WorldTour week race that is usually the link between the Flanders and Ardennes classics. Many of the riders preparing for the latter races are at the start in the Netherlands. I will be racing it for the third time. I know this race very well and it’s very difficult, because every day the courses are hard. I would like to achieve a good result there, after the uncertainty is always the rain, because often in this region there is rain. The roads are often narrow, so you have to be in the right place. The public is often very demonstrative because they really enjoy cycling. The Basques are real fans of our sport, just like the Bretons.”

Michel Ries

“The Itzulia Basque Country will be a first for me, but I know the roads of this region of Spain, and I know what to expect. It’s a tough event, and it’s going to be tough every day. These are competitions that suit me, and it will be good for me. I did a training session at altitude before the Itzulia Basque Country”.

Arnaud Gérard, sport director

“On the Itzulia Basque Country, Clément Champoussin will take on the role of team leader. It will be a new learning experience for him and we will do everything we can to help him achieve the best possible overall classification in this event, which is always a very high level event with most of the climbers in the peloton. It’s a demanding UCI WorldTour event, with many steep bumps. It will also be an opportunity for us to remember the roads of this region which will host the Grand Départ of the Tour de France next July. In any case, we know that in April as well as this summer, we will have the best welcome, because in the Netherlands, as in Brittany, cycling is king”.

Riders

Cristián Rodríguez
Michel Ries