Laurence Pithie expressed his desire to showcase his time trial skills during Paris-Nice this winter. Little did he know that he would stand out as a yellow spot in the Groupama-FDJ rocket during his mission in Auxerre on Tuesday afternoon. Despite finishing third in the first stage and second behind Arvijd De Kleijn in Montargis, the 21-year-old New Zealander unexpectedly took the lead in the general classification of Paris-Nice on Monday night, surpassing Mads Pedersen and Olav Kooij.
“I would like to focus on classics in the future,” Pithie said. He admitted it took him some time to figure out who had taken the bonuses at the intermediate sprint but he was not sure. He sported his new jersey, a reward for a season that had been somewhat unrewarding so far, with only one victory (Cadel Evans Ocean Race) among twelve top 10 finishes. “It probably won’t last long but I will make the most of it,” he said, finally able to savor the moment. Since returning to racing in Australia, Pithie has lived up to the expectations set by Groupama-FDJ who initially honed his skills in their Continental team before promoting him to the World Tour level last season.
Having been part of the leading trio in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne eight days ago, Pithie offers a complete and ambitious profile to Marc Madiot’s team. “I would like to focus on the classics in the future,” he explained. The French team seems to have recognized his potential, as evidenced by a briefing conducted entirely in English yesterday morning to aid the young man’s understanding. With Pithie set to lead the team in the upcoming Giro (4-26 May), the staff may need to adjust if success leads to a French rider being left behind.
