Last weekend’s classic races in France were well among the hardest of the season, at least according to the team’s management. Team Vorarlberg started on Saturday at the Tour du Finistère (UCI 1.1) which was followed the next Sunday by the 32nd edition of the Tro Bro Leon (UCI 1.1). In both races the continental team’s French riders were able to draw attention to them and the team.

Just like a week before at the Tour du Camembert it was Nicolas Baldo of Team Vorarlberg, who was part of a break-away group aboard his STEVENS Xenon at the Tour du Finistère. Four riders had escaped from the peloton and drew attention of race commentators and spectators. 30km (19mls) before the finish of the 190km (118ml) race, in heavy rain and low temperatures, the break-away attempt was over.

In this classic, taking place south of Brest, team captain Grischa Janorschke made a comeback after having recovered from an injury. He finished in 27th place just seconds behind Winner Tim de Troyer of Belgian team Wanty Group. Janorschke about the race: ”My legs legs didn’t explode today, it was great, I am very pleased with this start.”

All in all only 54 riders finished the race, among them Patrick Jäger, Victor de la Parte, Nicolas Winter, Aldo Ilesic und Daniel Paulus delivered a great team performance. Daniel Paulus and Patrick Jäger finished 7th and 8th, respectively in the youth classification thereby completing the team’s great effort.

Also in Brittany, but north of Brest close to the English Channel, the 32nd edition of the TroBro Leo took place, also called ”the little Paris-Roubaix”. 25 cobblestone sectors were scattered along the 205km (127ml) of the race as well as parts of unpaved stretches of rubble and agricultural dirt tracks. ”It was crazy, but the fans love it here,” said Werner Salmen, the Team’s Directeur Sportif.

The weather was windy but dry. Also starting in this one-day race, categorized 1.1 by the UCI, were several high-ranked teams like AG2R, Europcar, Francaise des Jeux and Bretagne Seche.

Nicolas Baldo was present in one of the break-away groups and scored in the Sprinters’ Classification. After the escape group around Baldo had been caught, there were many attacks until another group around Thomas Vöckler (Europcar) could escape. Part of this group was Clément Koretzky.

He not only kept his calm in the difficult parts of the course but also won the second intermediary sprint aboard his STEVENS Xenon, which resulted in him finishing second in the Sprinters’ Classification. Unfortunately he suffered a mechanical and after changing a wheel was not able to catch up with the head group, so he came in a 24th place overall.

Werner Salmen about Koretzky: ”By riding this way a top placing should have been logical consequence. The team is strong, since even the young riders rode until the end. Having this kind of races under your belt and in your legs, success will come automatically. Today we were just unlucky.”