Karo 6th of the Alpes Grésivaudan Classic

The ski resort of Les 7 Laux hosted the finish of the Alpes Grésivaudan Classic this Sunday. Held between the Chartreuse and Belledonne mountain ranges, the race brought a strong result for Mayenne Monbana My Pie, with a final 6th place.

The race got off to a very fast start. A group of 22 riders quickly broke away from the peloton, including the main favourites and the entire Mayenne Monbana My Pie squad. The decisive moves came on the final two climbs, where the leading group began to split apart. After strong teamwork from Léa Rondel, Francesca Hall, Marine Allione and Alice Coutinho, Karolina Perekitko was able to secure 6th place at the finish. A result that leaves a slight feeling of unfinished business after what had been a very promising day for the team.

We wish Frankie a speedy recovery after her crash on one of the descents.

Karolina Perekitko, 6th. "I was really looking forward to this race, but I wasn't sure where I stood with my preparation. After the Vuelta, I caught a virus and it took me some time to recover. From the start, Cofidis took responsibility for setting the pace. After the Col de Barrioz, only 18 riders remained at the front, including four from our team. We raced well and stayed attentive to the key moves. It's a shame that Francesca crashed just before the final climb. On the last climb, I rode at my own pace and crossed the finish line in 6th place. Of course, we wanted more, but overall we had a good race. It was also a great warm-up ahead of next week's Tour des Pyrénées, with the iconic Tourmalet."

Franck Renimel, sports director. "We rode a perfect race until 40 km from the finish. At that point, Mayenne Monbana My Pie was the best-represented team at the front of the race. We then lost Francesca after a crash on a descent. From there, things became more complicated as we had lost one of our leaders. By the time we reached the final climb, only Karo was left. She struggled from the very bottom of the climb but then put together a stronger ascent afterwards. She eventually finished 6th. It's a result below what we came here aiming for, but that's racing."

Results :

6 - Karolina Perekitko

12 - Alice Coutinho

18 - Marine Allione

19 - Léa Rondel

Photo credit : Eduardo Saiz.