This weekend, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux is sending seven riders to two classics in Brittany, the GP du Morbihan (1.Pro, 14/05) on Saturday and the Tro Bro Leon (1.Pro, 15/05) on Sunday.
On Saturday, the 185 kilometer course around Grand-Champ contains a climb with the same name (1.3km at and which has to repeated ten times in the second race half. The last time is the final ramp to the finish.
In 2018, Andrea Pasqualon was the strongest in the difficult final of the GP du Morbihan, previously known as the GP de Plumelec and obtained one of his six victories for Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux.
The seven riders continue on Sunday with the Two Bro Léon, in which they will be confronted with 29 ribinou. These 33 kilometer of unpaved roads alternated with asphalted climbs are, together with the wind along the Atlantic coastline, the principal difficulties of the 200 kilometer race.. The last ribinou ends 2 kilometer before the finish line in Lannilis.
Last year, Baptiste Planckaert obtained third place in a very close finish after animating the final with his compatriot Kévin Van Melsen.
Both men will again participate in the weekend in Brittany and race alongside Adrien Petit, winner of the Tro Bro Leon (2014), who returns to competition one month after his impressive Paris-Roubaix.
After his third place in Eschborn-Frankfurt earlier this month, Alexander Kristoff will participate to both races for the first time in his career, just like Dutchman Corné van Kessel and French neopro Hugo Page, who finished multiple times in the top 15 on home soil.
The roster of seven riders is completed by Dimitri Claeys, who finished eighth in the Tro Bro Léon in 2016, and will be directed by Jean-Marc Rossignon and Bart Wellens.
« Participating to races for the first time is always exciting. In addition, the Two Bro Léon is an atypical classic with unpaved roads, which is quite new for me. I'm very curious to discover this race. I will also line up for the GP du Morbihan for the first time, but I already know the landscape in Brittany quite well thanks to the GP Plouay - Ouest France which I won. This Friday we did a recon of the final. I'm convinced that our team can achieve good results in both races and we're ready to take responsibilities. »
« My last participation in the Two Bro Léon is seven years ago already, but of course I remember my victory in 2014 well. I especially remember that I was completely empty at the finish, just like after a six hour classic. Traditionally the final starts very early and the race is difficult to control, so that's why it is important to be focused and well positioned from the start. This kind of race in Brittany, just like the GP du Morbihan on Saturday, really suits Alexander Kristoff. Personally I haven't raced for one month but I trained well to be ready for this nice weekend on home soil. »
