Mayenne already at the front

Justine Gegu finished 15th at the Trofeu Llucmajor on Sunday, the second round of the Mallorca Challenge. The rider from Mayenne, originally from Méral, delivered a strong performance in a race heavily influenced by the wind, finishing in the second group.

The circumstances were far from ideal, as part of the team is currently suffering from food poisoning. “This is also the case for other teams. In addition, Natalie (Quinn) and Allison (Mrugal) crashed on Saturday. We therefore started with a depleted team. Karolina (Perekitko) and Justine (Gegu) were the only riders in good health,” explains Jean-Christophe Barbotin, manager of Mayenne Monbana My Pie. “The plan was to bring Justine into the sprint in the best possible conditions. Karolina did a great job for her, which is very positive. Movistar forced a split with crosswinds in the finale. Eleven riders fought for the win at the front, but I knew Justine could be among the best in the chasing group. She is a neo-pro and immediately shows that Mayenne is right in the mix. It also proves that even with only two riders at the finish, we handled the situation well. That’s very positive. Tomorrow’s race will be quite tough, with both wind and climbs.”

Justine Gegu was also pleased with her Top 15 result. “The goal was to get a result on this fairly flat course. I quickly found myself riding with Karolina, who helped me a lot in the crosswinds. We did our best to make the right group. I tried to position myself as well as possible. There are still a few details to work on to gain a couple of places. Given the early stage of the season and the race situation, it’s already a good result. It’s encouraging for what’s to come. I hope the team will feel better tomorrow.”

Photo credit : Dinamo Cycling Photography