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Spring revelation Laurence Pithie gets all the spotlights in Groupama-FDJ's Giro selection
CyclingWednesday, 01 May 2024 at 11:22
"The last shall be first," must have been the thought at Groupama-FDJ. As the second-to-last team, the French squad has announced its lineup for the upcoming Giro d'Italia starting Saturday. The standout name is none other than Laurence Pithie!
The barely 21-year-old New Zealander kicked off his second professional season explosively with a slew of high finishes and a win at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, a WorldTour-level event in Australia no less. After two podium finishes at the New Zealand national championships in both the road race and time trial, the young Kiwi headed to Flanders to tackle the cobblestones.
In the absence of Stefan Kung, Groupama-FDJ's undisputed leader in the classics, Pithie raced aggressively in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and was just unable to keep up with the decisive group including Wout van Aert, Oier Lazkano, and Tim Wellens, which eventually sprinted for the win. Pithie also finished eighth at GP Le Samyn and landed on the podium in the first two stages of Paris-Nice, earning him the yellow leader's jersey, which he wore for just one day.
Read more below the photo.
Will we also see Laurence Pithie shine in the pink leader's jersey on Sunday?
Pithie isn't just aiming for flat stages, but also for ferocious finishes
Back in Flanders, he made waves again at Gent-Wevelgem, where this time Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel dropped him on the final climb of the Kemmelberg. Then, at a crucial moment, he suffered a flat tire in Dwars door Vlaanderen and struggled a bit in the Tour of Flanders, but just a week later, he bounced back. Despite a fall, he impressively finished seventh in Paris-Roubaix.
In the Italian cycling race, Pithie is presented with an exciting program. He should excel in both flat sprints and more challenging finishes, giving him ample opportunity to compete for victory in many stages. However, it remains to be seen how he will fare over three weeks of racing. He expressed his ambitions a few weeks ago to IDLProCycling.com. In the boot-shaped country, he will be supported by four French riders: Enzo Paleni, Olivier Le Gac, Clément Davy, and Cyril Barthe. Also joining them are the Brit Lewis Askey, the Swiss Fabian Lienhard, and the Italian Lorenzo Germani.
Selection Groupama-FDJ Giro d'Italia 2024
Laurence Pithie
Lewis Askey
Cyril Barthe
Clément Davy
Lorenzo Germani
Olivier Le Gac
Fabian Lienhard
Enzo Paleni
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Latest Comments
- I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024