It was a tradition.
A local specificity which made all the charm of the race and made it a special event in the calendar.
For the past few years, riders who have taken part in the Bretagne Classic de Plouay, the queen of the Breton classics which passes through the hilly roads of the department to the Gulf of Morbihan, had to cross stony paths, also called gravels or ribins.
Delicate passages to approach and master but which brought spectacle and suspense to the race.
Winner ahead of Julian Alaphilippe last year, the Frenchman Benoît Cosnefroy knew how to take advantage of it to win.
But this year, the 91st edition of the event will be deprived of these “ribins”.
The reason ?
The discontent of the teams and the riders who, after the reconnaissance of the course on Saturday, asked the organization to withdraw its passages deemed too dangerous.
The teams complained directly to the UCI about two "paths": one, located 80 km from the finish and 1.5 km long, then the other, 50 km from the end with estimated percentages between 5 and 15%.
@BenoitCosnefroy, outgoing winner of the #BretagneClassic @OuestFrance, responds to the possibility of a second success in a row, and gives us his program for the rest of the season!
#4JoursCICPlouay pic.twitter.com/rbJnBeyJ7Z
— Grand Prix de Plouay (@GrandPrixPlouay) August 28, 2022
Several runners expressed themselves in the columns of Ouest-France, which reveals the information, on the reasons for this refusal.
"I went to recognize them and I'm torn," says Warren Barguil.
I don't know if that helps.
I think that in Brittany, there is a way to do without the ribins and that the riders are happier.
There is a fairly long and quite dangerous sector, the other is on a false flat descending, so you will have to be careful.
And it's also for the equipment of the teams… If we can go back only on the bumps, we can skip the ribins and do the small roads, that's just as good.
»
Same feeling for Cosnefroy.
“The ribins?
I'm not a big fan of this kind of course.
Last year, it favored me because I had managed to be placed.
On the one hand, this energizes the race, but on the other, we know very well that we cannot all be placed at the entrance to the sector.
This year, they may be even more critical.
There is a random side.
And reshuffle the cards of a race because of a puncture, I'm not a big fan of the idea.
In Brittany, there are largely difficult courses to make the difference without having to put paths.
»
The presence of many "stars" of the circuit - the green jersey and the white jersey of the last Tour, Wout Van Aert and Tadej Pogacar who came as part of their preparation for the World Championships (September 18 to 25 in Australia) - may - be convinced the UCI to ask the organizers to modify the route at the last minute.
The international body has therefore decided to remove this double section, citing article 2.2.015 indicating that the Breton organizers had not mentioned the presence of gravel when registering for the World Tour calendar.
See you Saturday and Sunday on @francetvsport for the @GrandPrixPlouay @cic @Roussemarion @apasteur @L_Jalabert I'm hot!😂 pic.twitter.com/fLkEcaCAiX
— Thomas Voeckler (@voecklerthomas) August 26, 2022
A decision which provoked the frustration and anger of the organizers who consider themselves to be in their right.
“The UCI has banned taking the two ribins tomorrow, the course must be modified in a hurry.
I am disgusted, regrets Jean-Yves Tranvaux in the columns of Ouest-France.
I want to come tomorrow (Sunday) to the starting line and say the race is cancelled.
»
Despite the absence of the ribins, the runners got off to the start of the 254 km race this Sunday morning.