Tour de la Semois & GP d'Isbergues : last race of the season
The Tour de la Semois and the Grand Prix d’Isbergues are the last two races on the Arkéa Pro Cycling Team calendar at the end of the season.
“After a season that was a bit disrupted by a few physical problems, I’m getting back into the swing of things at the end of the year. I had a good feeling this weekend during two races in Hauts de France. I’m feeling better. When I see the route of the Tour de la Semois, it’s something I like, when it’s punchy like that. I like these roads and they motivate me to finish on a high note personally and, collectively, so that we can build on our good momentum.”
“It’s the beginning of the end of the season, or almost! These are the last red and black races of 2023, and then for my part I’ll have the European Championships with the French team to follow. It hasn’t always been easy to shine, because I’ve accumulated a lot of fatigue with some big races on my programme. But I’m determined to finish well in the Tour de la Semois and then the Grand Prix d’Isbergues. I have a few regrets about not having been able to express myself fully in Fourmies last Sunday, but I hope to be able to make up for that in a similar race, Isbergues, where there’s a good chance of a sprint.”
“The Tour de la Semois is a stage race held over 2 days in the heart of the Ardennes in Belgium. When you think Ardennes, you think relief. It promises to be a tough race with lots of bumps and very little time to rest. Our best cards are still Megan and Anastasiya on this kind of profile. We’ll have to see how well Anastasiya recovers from the Tour de l’Ardèche. Sunday’s Grand Prix d’Isbergues should be just the opposite. Victory is often decided in a bunch sprint. Our team will be built around Marie-Morgane. She’s our sprinter but she needs to regain her confidence after the Grand Prix de Fourmies. She’ll be lucky to be surrounded by girls who are in good form at the moment, and their role will be to put her in the best possible conditions.”