Tro Bro Leon 2023 : info with one day to go
March 23 rd 2024 - 08:00
The 39th edition of the Tro Bro Leon takes place around Lannilis, the location of the neutralised start and finish in Finistère. Twenty-seven unpaved sectors - the "ribinoùs" - line the 204.1-kilometre-long course.
With a solid Arkéa-Samsic team, the outgoing winner Hugo Hofstetter will try to defend his title, which no one has done for nearly two decades. Unlucky last year, his Breton team-mate Laurent Pichon will try to finally add his name to the list of winners in the Hell of the West.
Rising sprint star Arnaud de Lie and former Tour of Flanders winner Alexander Kristoff are the leading riders, along with several promising Frenchmen, such as Axel Zingle, Romain Grégoire and Hugo Page.
PATHS ON DRY GROUND?
The route of the 39th edition includes 27 unpaved sectors with a total length of 29.1 kilometres (out of the 204.1 kilometres of the course). “We will go as far as Pointe Saint-Mathieu," says Jean-Paul Mellouët. “We only go in that direction every three years. There are some new ribinoùs. It's a bit different from the traditional circuit. But it should not be as difficult as the traditional route if there is no headwind. It will come down to the last 50 kilometres when we get to Lannilis. It rained a lot on Saturday, but the riders should be able to avoid the mud, according to the event organiser: "I think the weather will be more or less clear tomorrow. So, it will be dry. A bit of wind and it will be dry. We've seen Tro Bro start in the rain and finish in good weather and with dry ribinoùs, apart from a few puddles."
ARKÉA-SAMSIC WANT TO HOLD ON TO THE TITLE
The four Arkéa-Amsic riders who finished in the top 10 last year will race on Sunday. Starting with Hugo Hofstetter, the defending winner, who will try to become the first rider to retain his title since Samuel Dumoulin (2003 and 2004): "It's always nice to come back to a race that you have won, especially the Tro Bro," says the 29-year-old rider from Alsace, who beat Luca Mozzato in the sprint last year. "I had some good results before (4th in 2018, 10th in 2017). I enjoy this race. Coming back with the number 1, I had already experienced that at the Samyn (which he won in 2020). In a race where you usually make good results, you always have the feeling that something can happen, even if everything goes wrong. You have to know how to deal with that in your head.” The Breton team will also count on Laurent Pichon, who has not dropped out in 11 participations (twice 4th) and who had bad luck last year when he had a puncture in the final (7th), but also Matis Louvel (6th last year). “It could be a good day for either of them”, adds Hofstetter. “It's good to have a strong team and be able to counter the attacks. In a race like this, it's an advantage. The goal is for the victory to stay with the team." Arkéa-Samsic is aiming for a third victory, having won in 2021 with Connor Swift.
PETIT: “IT'S NOT AS TOUGH AS ON COBBLESTONES, BUT IT'S JUST AS TRICKY".
2014 winner Adrien Petit (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) has seen his early season plans hampered by serious shoulder and hand injuries. Before his comeback on Saturday on the Circuit du Morbihan, the rider from the North of France confided that he was back in shape: "But I don't know yet if I can compete with the best. The Tro Bro is very demanding. I have always finished exhausted. It's similar to a classic, to a Paris-Roubaix in a way. The tracks are far easier to ride than the cobbled sectors, but it is just as tricky.” Adrien Petit will ride alongside Belgian rider Baptiste Planckaert, the only man on the start list to have twice stood on the podium (2nd in 2019 and 3rd in 2021). "We also have two good cross-country riders (Kevin Kuhn and Gerben Kuypers). They can do something in a race like this, as can Hugo Page, who is coming back from mononucleosis (this will be his return race). Lastly, we have a talented young Estonian, Madis Mihkels. I'm curious to see what he can do."
DE LIE AND GRÉGOIRE WILL RIDE FOR VICTORY
Winner this Saturday of the Grand Prix du Morbihan, Arnaud De Lie is the man to beat in a race where he did well last year (4th). The talented Belgian sprinter will lead the Lotto Dstny team with Florian Vermeersch (2nd in Paris-Roubaix in 2021). There will also be another strong contender with Norway’s Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X), winner of the 2015 Tour of Flanders. As for the French riders, Axel Zingle (Cofidis, 10th in the Amstel Gold Race) and Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) who finished right behind De Lie this Saturday, will be particularly eagerly awaited. The Bisontin rider will be looking for revenge as he is about to discover the Tro Bro Léon. The 2022 French U23 cyclo-cross champion is in any case fond of the unpaved sectors as he started cycling on a mountain bike. And he recently finished 8th in the Strade Bianche.
THE AMATEUR RIDERS OPEN THE ROAD
On Saturday afternoon, on the eve of the professional race, the "Tro Bro Challenge with Giant" was completely sold out, setting a new participation record (1,200 participants). Three types of races were on the menu of the cyclosportive event. Tristan Valentin, the winner of the 2005 Tro Bro, was among the 700 courageous riders who braved one of the two "cyclo" routes (100 and 131km), wearing a Santini jersey. On the longer route, it was possible to sample oysters at the Pointe Saint-Mathieu, before returning to the seaside to Lannilis. All the routes included ribinoùs, especially the "gravel" route, which condensed 26 into 79km. As for the "vintage" aspect, a hundred or so riders participated in period clothing and rode bicycles from the day.
