Some were talking about an unexpected victory for Mathias Guillemette in the first leg of the Champions League 15 days ago. Constant week after week since this victory, Guillemette once again proved on Saturday that his place at the top of the provisional general classification in endurance was not at all a matter of luck.
Guillemette, who wore the pale blue leader’s jersey at the start of the day, was once again on a mission in the elimination race where he seemed to have a target behind his back in Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, the venue for the third round of the Champions League.
After temporarily finding himself at the back of the peloton at the start of the race, the Trifluvien wasted no time in taking refuge at the front of the group where he remained until the very end. Opposed to Oliver Wood in the final, Guillemette drew on all his energy reserves, but the Briton finally got the better of him.
The Quebecer finished second and at the same time managed to get on the podium for the third weekend in a row in the elimination race.
“It was a tough race mentally, I managed to put my doubts aside and went into the race with all my energy. I still felt good and when I managed to find myself at the front of the peloton, I knew that I had what it takes to go all the way,” Guillemette said in an interview with Sportcom.
Earlier in the day, Guillemette had a race below his expectations in the scratch where he only fetched two points in the general classification. This specialty was won by Spaniard Sebastian Mora Vedri.
“The result is a bit disappointing even though it wasn’t a bad race as such. We had a strategy with Dylan Bibic, it didn’t go as planned at all, but we tried at least and we managed to save the day. »
Second overall and third in the race by elimination, the Swiss Claudio Imhof came to steal the leader’s jersey from Guillemette at the end of the third round.
Just six points behind Imhof, Guillemette is confident he can close the gap in the final two rounds of the Champions League in London next weekend.
“There are still two big days of competition left, I’m not too nervous. I want to remain consistent for the next races. The jerseys have changed hands each time, so if we go by the trend, I will organize myself to get it back on the last day,” Guillemette concluded with a laugh.