A Consistent Tour des Pyrénées for Mayenne Monbana My Pie

The Tour des Pyrénées once again highlighted the collective strength of Mayenne Monbana My Pie. The six riders of the French ProTeam leave the race with two stage top-ten finishes, along with a strong performance on the queen stage. It was a stage race marked by consistency against a highly competitive field.

The opening stage on Friday saw Justine Gegu deliver an encouraging 7th place in the sprint finish. The following day, on the queen stage featuring the legendary Tourmalet climb, Karolina Perekitko confirmed her good form by riding among the best and crossing the line in 11th place. On Sunday’s final stage, the early breakaway stayed clear until the finish. Racing close to home, Alice Coutinho made the most of the opportunity in front of her supporters and secured 8th place on the day. After three days of racing, Karolina Perekitko finished 13th overall in the general classification.

Alice Coutinho : "From the start, I wasn’t feeling at my best, so when the opportunity to join the breakaway came, I thought it could be a good option. The final climb was then decisive, and I was just missing a little bit of energy towards the end. It was special to race almost at home, and I received support all along the route. I really had a great day out there".

Jean-Christophe Barbotin, team manager : "On the first day, we were aiming for a podium in the sprint finish. The riders worked well but despite that, Justine finished 7th. We were also a bit unlucky. The next day, Karo rode a perfect race all the way to the top of the Tourmalet. However, she then lost time on the descent; she still has some weaknesses in that area. Today (Sunday), we were targeting the stage win with Fiona. Unfortunately, she suffered a mechanical issue that took her out of contention. The breakaway went all the way to the finish, and Alice took a strong 8th place. Meanwhile, Karo once again lost time on the final climb and dropped two places in the general classification. Disappointment is the prevailing feeling at the end of this Tour des Pyrénées, as we should have done better and finished in the Top 10 overall. It’s now time to turn the page and focus on the Vuelta Catalunya and the national championships to get back on the right way".

Results - stage 1 :

7 - Justine Gegu

13 - Fiona Mangan

59 - Alice Coutinho

60 - Constance Valentin

62 - Karolina Perekitko

85 - Léa Rondel

Results - stage 2 :

11 - Karolina Perekitko

25 - Léa Rondel

30 - Alice Coutinho

42 - Constance Valentin

47 - Justine Gegu

48 - Fiona Mangan

Results - stage 3 :

8 - Alice Coutinho

34 - Karolina Perekitko

49 - Constance Valentin

52 - Justine Gegu

76 - Léa Rondel

Final general classification :

13 - Karolina Perekitko

26 - Alice Coutinho

39 - Constance Valentin

47 - Léa Rondel

50 - Justine Gegu

Photo credit : Eduardo Saiz.