Fiona on the Podium in Navarra

The Mayenne Monbana My Pie squad continues to ride a strong wave of momentum. After an animated Tour of Spain campaign last week, a different line-up took the start this Wednesday at the Navarra Women's Elite Classic. Fiona Mangan finished third in the race, securing another standout result for the French ProTeam.

Spain has been particularly kind to Mayenne Monbana My Pie this season, especially over the past week. Since La Vuelta Femenina, the atmosphere within the team has been both combative and optimistic. Fiona Mangan confirmed that feeling on Wednesday in Pamplona during the Navarra Women's Elite Classic, a race featuring several short climbs along the route.

Strongly supported throughout the race by her teammates Jenaya Francis, Kiara Lylyk, Allison Mrugal and Constance Valentin, the Irish rider managed to respond to the attacks before battling for victory in the final hectometres. Fiona eventually finished third in the ProSeries event, behind two riders from WorldTour teams, the top division of international cycling.

Fiona Mangan, 3rd. “I’m really happy. I think there's great momentum in the team in general, coming off the Vuelta, seeing the girls do so well. There's a really great atmosphere and a winning feeling in the team. I wasn’t entirely sure where my form was because this was my comeback race. I took a break after the Classics. We tried to stay as conservative as possible today to really play for the sprint at the end. It was a hard race but one that suited me well because it had a bit of everything : hills, wind and rain. You had to find the right balance between saving energy and following the attacks. I think I managed my effort well.”

Jean-Christophe Barbotin, team manager. “The idea was to stay calm compared to the Vuelta, where we were constantly in the breakaways. It’s a race I know very well — it’s a race of attrition. Given the nature of the course, I knew the breakaway would not make it to the finish. No matter what happened, we stayed focused on the objective, which was to crest the Artajona climb midway through the race in a good position. After that, there were only around 40 or 50 riders left, and we needed to position ourselves well over the final climbs with the aim of getting a result in the sprint in Pamplona. At one point, Allison worked alongside riders from Movistar Team and Lidl-Trek to close the gap to the breakaway. Constance struggled a little towards the end of the race. With 10 kilometres to go, we started to believe, and I told Fiona she could win the sprint. It was important that she truly believed in victory. She stayed well positioned throughout the finale and finished third. So it was a fantastic day, the riders listened well, and we achieved another great result with a podium finish. Once again, the colours of Mayenne Monbana My Pie were at the front.”

Results : 3 – Fiona Mangan

41 – Constance Valentin

53 - Allison Mrugal