Thibault Guernalec: "Confirm my performance in 2020
Thibault Guernalec comes with legitimate ambitions to Épinal, host of the 2021 French road championship, which will start tomorrow with the time trials. Explanations.
BEFORE THE RACE
“I came to Épinal immediately after the Tour of Belgium. This allowed me to recognize the course of the time trial proposed in the framework of the 2021 French Championship. It is a beautiful course, with bumps that are not too steep, so it is hilly but also with a lot of changes of direction. It’s not monotonous at all. It’s the kind of time trial that, in theory, I like. I also recognised it once, behind a scooter at race pace in order to gain more reference points. If I do a top 5 here in Épinal, like I did last year in Grand-Champ, it will be good considering the density of good time-trial riders in France now. After that, it is obvious that I am looking more and more to get closer to the podium. It would be a great performance if I could do it. But, as I said, there are many riders who can think about the podium, so a top 5 would already be great”.
BRIEFING
” The time trial of the 2021 Championship, without being hard like the one in Vesoul recently, will still be quite selective. It is similar to last year’s time trial because it includes very fast sections, which are mixed with small bumps that break the rhythm and require a certain amount of effort management. This time trial can be easily cut out and is very varied. A time-trial specialist has the means to express himself well on such a course. In my opinion, the rider who will take the victory will be in great condition considering all the elements I have just mentioned, because the final is also difficult. You really have to manage your effort well in order not to break down, because you are always in the grip without too many phases to recover. “