Arthur Blaise confirms his qualities in stage races, in particular thanks to his potential in time trials. Already victorious in the exercise on the Route d’Eole, before taking the general, the usual rider of Antony Berny Cycliste also won the time trial of the Côte d’Or Classic (see ranking). But this time, the one who wears the colors of the Île-de-France committee does not have the leader’s jersey that goes with it, due to the differences the day before. Nevertheless, he still has an opportunity this afternoon to turn everything upside down, as he explains to DirectVelo before the last act of the trilogy. Interview.
DirectVelo: How did you manage this time?
Arthur Blaise: It was a long lap, over 17 terminals, so we had to manage it well, not go too hard, with the headwind in the second part, on the return. It was important to finish well to make the difference, and I think that’s what I did well.
This is your second victory against the clock after that of the Route d’Eole…
So far, I’ve won all my times since the start of the year. It’s an effort that I like and that I worked a lot. But I have good qualities on the road too, I also finished 2nd in the straight leg of the Route d’Eole. Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of bad luck lately. I had a mechanical problem on the Pévèle, I had no more brakes… I had to change my bike. I still made it back, but hey… Then at Paris-Roubaix, I had a puncture on the first cobbled section. I haven’t been able to show what I’m capable of yet, it’s a shame. But in time, it works well. Everyone knows that I am strong.
“MAKE EVERYTHING FAST”
You got ahead of quite a client since the Norwegian Jorgen Nordhagen signed for three years in the Jumbo-Visma WorldTeam. Did you expect to be able to beat him?
Yes of course. I came to win, not to finish 2nd. When I started, it was to beat everyone. I knew who was there and who I needed to beat. The course was interesting. It was very fast but still very hard. Yesterday (Sunday), already, it was complicated in the rain and the cold. He had to recover well, sleep well. This morning, it is 2°C… We are impatiently waiting for the heat. But we had to deal with it, these are the same conditions for everyone.
You have moved up to the general standings and you will therefore have two good cards to play with that of Gabriel (Berg), winner of the first stage. How do you imagine the line race this afternoon, how to maneuver?
I’m super happy for Gabriel (Berg) but as he was in front, it’s true that it forced me not to move behind, and so I finished with the peloton. With the clock, I hoped to be able to win the overall. But suddenly, we will have to go back to the front and blow everything up. I can hope to win the overall, Gabriel too. Or another! The most important thing is that a rider from the Ile-de-France committee wins.
