Benjamin Thomas retains lead at Etoile de Bessèges: "I climbed at my level without panicking"

It was a tough day for Cofidis leader Benjamin Thomas after he inherited the race lead at the Etoile de Bessèges but he successfuly defended it, and will go into the time-trial in first place.

Despite being a stage that was relatively easy to control, there was a lot of tension regarding what would go down in Mont Bouquet. 4.6 kilometers at 9.1% doesn't make for a brutal mountain climb, but in Cofidis rider Benjamin Thomas it was likely to feel like one.

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"My teammates did an exceptional job, specially Remy [Rochas] who was my guardian angel," Thomas said to L'Équipe in the post-race interview. The French team did a brilliant collective work in the final climb to keep Thomas in the lead, with Remy Rochas and Jesús Herrada supporting the rouleur and making sure the peloton was controlled.

Cofidis set the pace in the group in the middle portion of the climb before Jay Vine attacked with eventual winner Tobias Johannessen, but they didn't change their plan once they saw the Norwegian building a gap: "I was expecting the attack of Johannessen. I climbed at my level without panicking."

Sure enough Thomas was capable of limiting the losses. He finished with the same time as his most direct oponent Alberto Bettiol and only lost 33 out of the 41 seconds he had over Tobias Johannessen. The national time-trial champion of France won't be wearing the stripes tomorrow but he will be wearing something that is surely much more important to him, and is within reach of conquering his first stage-race as a pro rider.

Team Cofidis

@TeamCOFIDIS

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