"France is really returning to the front of the peloton": Kévin Vauquelin thrives as INEOS leader with a dominant top-5 finish in Paris-Nice

The final stage of Paris-Nice delivered a thrilling finale as Lenny Martinez managed to outsprint heavy favorite Jonas Vingegaard for the stage victory. Just seven seconds behind the leading duo, INEOS Grenadiers rider Kévin Vauquelin crossed the line to secure an impressive fourth place in both the stage and the overall general classification.

Vauquelin was aggressive on the final day, hunting for a podium spot rather than just defending his position. However, when it came time to launch his ultimate effort, he found that his body was still missing that final top-end gear after a disrupted off-season.

"We were pretty much on the offensive. We were really more the hunters than the ones who had to defend," Vauquelin explained in a post-race interview to Cycling Pro Net. "I had great sensations, everything went very well until the final climb. I don't know why, during the climb, I felt really good, but when I had to push really hard, I was completely blocked."

He remained philosophical about the limits of his current form, knowing he is still building his strength. "I think my body also has to accept it, after spending so much time off the bike with that injury this winter. I think I'm just not at 100% yet and I need to continue on this path. At the end, I felt good, but it was just when I had to push harder."

Despite missing the final overall podium, it was a highly successful week for INEOS. Vauquelin was quick to thank his team, noting that they had to fight through a lot of bad luck and difficult racing conditions to secure their results.

"With those famous crosswinds, it made me lose quite a bit of time. The crashes of Oscar and Carlos didn't help either," he admitted. "But there you go, we come out of it with a team time trial win, a win in the team general classification as well, and then a 4th place overall. I think we can be satisfied with our week, despite a few little things that could have been worse."

Taking on the pressure of being the sole GC leader for a massive team like INEOS is a heavy burden, but the Frenchman is clearly thriving under the weight of those expectations. "It's really a role I like a lot and I really enjoy targeting the general classifications. It allows me to always stay focused and I think I'm improving more and more. I just have to stay on this track and one day, it will open up."

With Lenny Martinez winning the final stage, Paul Seixas shining earlier in the spring, and Vauquelin fighting at the front, French cycling is currently experiencing a massive youth movement. Vauquelin believes this domestic rivalry is making all of them better riders.

"For sure we have a new generation coming up. We are all reaching 24-25 years old, we are sort of reaching our physical maturity, and I think we all pull each other up," Vauquelin noted. "When you see Romain Grégoire, Lenny Martinez, Paul Seixas, Paul Lapeira... if I had to name them all, it would be long! But we all push each other upwards and we show that France is really returning to the front of the peloton."

As for what comes next, Vauquelin noted that this Paris-Nice squad is largely the same group that will support him at the Tour de France this summer. Building chemistry now is a massive step in the right direction.

"We still had riders who will be doing a similar program for the Tour de France and I think it was very good to find our bearings," he confirmed. "We had already found our bearings at the Tour of the Algarve, and here it was really more of a confirmation. We fought at the front, we wanted to test things and I think we can really be happy with what we were able to do here."