“I had crazy legs” - Bastien Tronchon wins wild edition of Tro-Bro Leon

Bastien Tronchon claimed a gritty and emotional victory at the 2024 Tro Bro Leon on Sunday, overcoming a chaotic day of rain, mud, crashes, and mechanical setbacks to deliver a stunning result for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. Teammate Pierre Gautherat made it a one-two for the French squad, capping off a dominant weekend that also included a victory from Benoît Cosnefroy at the GP du Morbihan.

Speaking to Cyclism’Actu after the finish, Tronchon described the race as a true battle of endurance.

"It was a crazy day. I immediately saw that I had great legs today. I was able to stay fresh after the Ardennes triptych. I found the punch I had before and that I had lost a little. My goal was to anticipate to form a small group and go far with it.

“That's what I did, but I was a bit alone. I suffered the ups and downs of the race by taking the wrong route and getting two front tire punctures. I always stayed calm. It's Dad's birthday, so I thought of him and that gave me strength today. He told me to have fun, and I had a blast."

Despite the difficult conditions and a number of setbacks, including two front punctures and a moment of confusion on the route, Tronchon remained composed. The chaos reminded him of another demanding race earlier this season.

"These are not easy moments. At first I thought back to the Strade Bianche, a race with a lot of hazards where I also had great sensations. Unfortunately here I had some hazards. I told myself that it was not serious, that I was going to do my race. So I continued my race, I found myself in a big group with only Pierre Gautherat in front. I managed to get out of this group and come back alone. It was perfect."

His comeback was helped by a timely twist of fate when Kévin Vauquelin suffered a puncture, allowing Tronchon to bridge back to the front.

"I also took advantage of the fact that Kévin Vauquelin had a puncture to get back to the front group. It wasn't the perfect day in terms of tactics, but I really had crazy legs. A double on Friday, Benoit Cosnefroy's victory yesterday in Morbihan, a double today. What a weekend for the team! At the start, we were aiming for the podium, but with the momentum and the team we had, we said to ourselves that we would rather aim for victory."