Description
February 5, 2023
Étoile de Bessèges 2023 – Stage 5 ITT – Alès – Alès : 10,66 km
Held in the Département du Gard, the Etoile de Bessèges was named after the star-shaped route put on show in its early few years as a one-day race.
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February 5, 2023
Étoile de Bessèges 2023 – Stage 5 ITT – Alès – Alès : 10,66 km
Held in the Département du Gard, the Etoile de Bessèges was named after the star-shaped route put on show in its early few years as a one-day race. Ran as a five-day stage race since 1974, the Etoile de Bessèges is the first of many hilly stage races held in the south of France at the beginning of the season. This is an early test that never fails to get riders’ blood pumping after a long winter break.
Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) won the stage 5 time trial on the final day of Etoile de Bessèges while Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) grabbed the overall title by just one second.
Only four seconds separated race leader and stage 4 winner Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) from Powless headed into the race of truth. Powless powered through the crosswinds early in the course and then smoothly around the final corner of the uphill finish to take valuable time and snatched the GC win from Skjelmose.
Pedersen sat tight in the hot seat with the best time at 15:25 from the early wave of riders, no one coming close on the 10.6km course. Before the favourites hit the course, the Ineos Grenadiers duo of Josh Tarling and Ben Tulett posted times to put them in the final spots on the podium, Tarling eight seconds back for second and Tulett another two ticks back for third.
All eyes were on the clock for the final two competitors charged on the twisting ascent of Côte de l’Ermitage, a now familiar finish for the five-day stage race. Powless set a time of 15:46 in eighth place, then Skjelmose, who seemed to go a bit wider on the final turn, crossed the line in ninth, a full five seconds slower, giving Powless the GC win.
The 26-year-old North American rider earned his second victory of the young season with his effort, coming off a victory at GP Marseille. The final stage brought a day of redemption from stage 4, where Powless was overtaken by Skjelmose on the final corner of the mountaintop finish at Le Mont Bouquet to finish second to the Dane.
“Of course, I am disappointed that I miss out by just one second but that’s cycling sometimes. I am more disappointed that I couldn’t finish off the job that the guys started yesterday,” the Dane said after the TT.
“I didn’t have super legs, this was the first race of the season for me and I still need some more anaerobic efforts to improve the recovery a little bit but it wasn’t bad today either. I still finished top ten and had some really good names in front of me and also beat some really good names so, I think the TT was OK from me.”
Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) finished fifth in the time trial, 11 seconds off the winning pace, and secured his third place overall. The Frenchman came into the final day 22 seconds back in third place and closed that gap to 12 seconds.
The closest challengers from behind for Letour were Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers), 38 seconds off the podium, and former race leader Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny), 57 seconds back.
The two fell back a few spots on GC, as Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-Samsic) vaulted to fourth overall with a fourth place in the time trial, one second away from Tulett. The Arkea rider bumped Sivakov to fifth, while Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) rode into sixth overall.
De Lie needed a stellar ride to vault back on the podium. He completed his ride in 31st position, 1:10 back, which dropped him to seventh overall.
From the field of 118 riders, Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) led the way and posted a time of 16:14 to set the benchmark. It took 30 riders to move Carr off the hot seat, which was done by Pedersen, who was looking to move up one step of the podium from his runner-up spot in the time trial last year.
Pedersen remained comfortable, only Tarling, a junior time trial world champion, would cross the finish under the 10-second margin.
Results :
Final General Classification :
 won the stage 5 time trial on the final day of Etoile de Bessèges while Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) grabbed the overall title by just one second.
Only four seconds separated race leader and stage 4 winner Mattias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo) from Powless headed into the race of truth. Powless powered through the crosswinds early in the course and then smoothly around the final corner of the uphill finish to take valuable time and snatched the GC win from Skjelmose.
Pedersen sat tight in the hot seat with the best time at 15:25 from the early wave of riders, no one coming close on the 10.6km course. Before the favourites hit the course, the Ineos Grenadiers duo of Josh Tarling and Ben Tulett posted times to put them in the final spots on the podium, Tarling eight seconds back for second and Tulett another two ticks back for third.
All eyes were on the clock for the final two competitors charged on the twisting ascent of Côte de l'Ermitage, a now familiar finish for the five-day stage race. Powless set a time of 15:46 in eighth place, then Skjelmose, who seemed to go a bit wider on the final turn, crossed the line in ninth, a full five seconds slower, giving Powless the GC win.
The 26-year-old North American rider earned his second victory of the young season with his effort, coming off a victory at GP Marseille. The final stage brought a day of redemption from stage 4, where Powless was overtaken by Skjelmose on the final corner of the mountaintop finish at Le Mont Bouquet to finish second to the Dane.
"Of course, I am disappointed that I miss out by just one second but that's cycling sometimes. I am more disappointed that I couldn't finish off the job that the guys started yesterday," the Dane said after the TT.
"I didn't have super legs, this was the first race of the season for me and I still need some more anaerobic efforts to improve the recovery a little bit but it wasn't bad today either. I still finished top ten and had some really good names in front of me and also beat some really good names so, I think the TT was OK from me."
Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) finished fifth in the time trial, 11 seconds off the winning pace, and secured his third place overall. The Frenchman came into the final day 22 seconds back in third place and closed that gap to 12 seconds.
The closest challengers from behind for Letour were Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers), 38 seconds off the podium, and former race leader Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny), 57 seconds back.
The two fell back a few spots on GC, as Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-Samsic) vaulted to fourth overall with a fourth place in the time trial, one second away from Tulett. The Arkea rider bumped Sivakov to fifth, while Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) rode into sixth overall.
De Lie needed a stellar ride to vault back on the podium. He completed his ride in 31st position, 1:10 back, which dropped him to seventh overall.
From the field of 118 riders, Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) led the way and posted a time of 16:14 to set the benchmark. It took 30 riders to move Carr off the hot seat, which was done by Pedersen, who was looking to move up one step of the podium from his runner-up spot in the time trial last year.
Pedersen remained comfortable, only Tarling, a junior time trial world champion, would cross the finish under the 10-second margin.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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<strong>Final General Classification : </strong>
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