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It’s the same Benjamin Landier who is chronicling himself:
First race on Friday at Anglet: a 75km criterium on an easy circuit, I have to stay vigilant throughout the race to counter all attacks, the tension is palpable but I remain calm, finishing second in a close sprint with the winner, everything is going well.
On Saturday, it’s a 20km time trial on a difficult circuit that I scouted twice by car and once on a bike. My legs are very strong, with the second place trailing by 38 seconds, so I take the lead in the general classification.
Sunday is 9 laps of a circuit totaling 85km, with a very tough climb each lap, strong wind, and rain—conditions I enjoy.
The day’s goal is to win the overall classification but especially to show that I can be a good teammate for Cédric Ramassany, the young Martiniquais who won Friday; I know he can win again if I lead him to the finish.
In the second lap, a brave rider attempts to break away and succeeds, gaining up to 2’30” ahead. I must then take responsibility to catch up but without rushing, to benefit from the collaboration with other riders without doing all the work.
Three laps before the end, we catch up, leaving only 6 riders in this group, and attempts are made to break away on the climb, but I control it, my form is good, and in the last lap, I have the means to break away to finish alone, but I have a commitment to keep. Cédric positions himself in my slipstream at the right time; with 2km left, I’m behind a Russian competitor until the last corner 1km before the finish, where I take the lead and go full speed to finish in a sprint and pull away 200m from the line. Cédric delivers a superb finish and wins!!! It’s an emotional experience to share this victory.
Assessment: I have drawn lessons from my underperformance in Rome (13th in the time trial) to implement the right strategies and get in shape; the pressure and sporting competition proved to be positive. For this, I had to accept quite a few realistic criticisms to learn from them.
However, the path to selection is far from over, with the World Cup next weekend in Segovia, Spain, and June 30th/July 1st, the French Championship in Bayeux where I want to reclaim the time trial jersey and do everything to retain the road one, even if this French championship does not count for the selection, it holds a special place in every rider’s heart.
