“I don’t think that would have been my strategy” - Kevin Vauquelin questions INEOS call after Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes TTT heartbreak costs Maillot Jaune

Kevin Vauquelin believes Netcompany INEOS may have lost “15 or 20 seconds” in the team time trial decision that left him 12 seconds short of the Maillot Jaune at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The Frenchman led INEOS home in stage 3 around Perreux, where the British team finished second, 9.61 seconds behind Team Visma | Lease a Bike. It was still a major ride, especially after mechanical trouble for Sam Watson and Oscar Onley, but it was not quite enough to win the stage or take yellow from Alex Baudin.

Baudin’s EF Education - EasyPost squad finished third on the day, 19.80 seconds slower than INEOS. With Vauquelin having started the stage 32 seconds behind the race leader, that left him second overall at 12 seconds.

Speaking afterwards in conversation with Cycling Pro Net, Vauquelin admitted the near miss was difficult to accept. “A bit of disappointment,” he said. “We wanted to win and we had a mechanical problem, so obviously that is not the best way to ‘lose’, in inverted commas. I think physically we were there and we did a good time trial. So I think there is still some positive to take, even if we did not get the victory.”

The decisive moment came when Onley suffered a chain problem during the effort. INEOS hesitated, then chose to wait for the British rider, protecting one of their key GC cards rather than continuing at full speed.

For Vauquelin, the cost of that decision was obvious. “It is a bit complicated because it is a very delicate situation,” he said. “You are going at 80kph. If you wait for someone, whether they are supposedly strong or not, you lose an enormous amount of time.”

That loss of momentum was especially painful given the final gaps. INEOS missed the stage win by less than 10 seconds and missed yellow by 12. “As some commentators said, we maybe lost 15 or 20 seconds because going from 80 to 55 and then back up to 80 costs an enormous amount of time. It is really huge,” Vauquelin said.

The numbers made the decision impossible to ignore. INEOS were still strong enough to beat every team except Visma, but the slowdown left Vauquelin wondering whether the Maillot Jaune had slipped away in that moment.

Vauquelin did not disguise that he would have handled the situation differently. “So yes, I don’t think that would have been my strategy,” he said. “Afterwards, we will debrief with the team and see how things go.”

The line was pointed, but the Frenchman also recognised the strength of the collective performance. INEOS had already lost Watson to a bike change earlier in the effort, yet still came within touching distance of the stage win and the race lead. “It shows that we work, that we work well, and that we have a united team,” Vauquelin said. “So I think that is quite positive for the next sessions.”

The standings now show Baudin still in yellow, Vauquelin second at 12 seconds and Onley third at the same margin. Matteo Jorgenson sits fourth at 15 seconds after Visma’s stage-winning ride, with Juan Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose also moving up after Lidl-Trek’s strong performance.

For INEOS, the result proved they had the legs to change the race. For Vauquelin, the frustration was that the clock suggests they may also have had enough to win it.