Strong team performance at the Pionera Race

Mayenne Monbana My Pie placed three riders in the Top 10 on Sunday at the Pionera Race. Karolina Perekitko came close to the podium but had to settle for fourth place after a reduced bunch sprint. Alice Coutinho and Marine Allione also secured Top 10 finishes.

The Spanish race started at a controlled pace, with an average speed of just 33 km/h. The race came alive on the first climb, where the decisive move was made. A group of twelve riders eventually broke clear, including three representatives from Mayenne Monbana My Pie, and contested the victory in a sprint. With a fourth place as the best result in a field featuring only three professional teams, the French ProTeam had hoped for more but chose to focus on the positives. The team finished first in the team classification and continues to see its collective strength growing ahead of the upcoming races.

Karolina Perekitko : “Today was a really good day for us. It’s a shame to miss the podium, but we did a really good effort as a team. Before the last corner, I was well positioned but a crash happened in front of me, which created a gap to the first three riders who fought for the win. It’s disappointing because we deserved the victory.”

Jean-Christophe Barbotin, team manager : “The girls rode really well at the front and were involved in every key move. On the first climb, the pace increased and Léa (Rondel) found herself counter-attacking behind another rider. Things came back together, and then with 20 kilometres to go, a group of 12 riders went clear. We had three riders in that move. In the finale, they rode for Karo, but we knew she wasn’t as fast as Fidanza, Asencio or Silvestri. That’s exactly how it played out. In the end, we finished where we belong. They did everything right. The key was to avoid being up against pure sprinters, but some of them managed to hold on, which was what I feared. It’s a good result, but not the one we were aiming for—we didn’t come here to finish fourth. We’ll try to win elsewhere and now focus on next weekend.”

The team now turns its attention to the Tour of the Valencian Community, a one-day Women’s ProSeries race. “It will be a completely different challenge with WorldTour teams on the start line. That’s where we’ll really see whether our riders can make an impact when the racing gets tough.”

Results :

4 - Karolina Perekitko

8 - Alice Coutinho

9 - Marine Allione

15 - Justine Gegu

19 - Léa Rondel

32 - Allison Mrugal