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David Polveroni, 30, is one of the best French cyclosport riders and also a 3bikes.fr ambassador. He tells us about his fourth participation in La Forestière Cyclo last weekend. Atmosphere.
By David Polveroni – Photos: All rights reserved
For my fourth participation, and after three successes, I failed to make it four in a row, finishing behind Quentin Vanoverschelde, a rider who recently wore the yellow jersey on the Tour de Guadeloupe. It remains a magnificent event that I always enjoy taking part in.
This year, La Forestière benefits from mild weather with radiant sunshine. Ideal conditions for a friendly cyclosportive, which offers its public several formats: 85 km with a version reserved for women, Forest’elles, and the 140 km on which I lined up.
The start in the streets of Arbent (01) takes us directly into the first climb, a rolling ascent that allows for a selection under the impetus of Damien Jeanjean and Bruno Morel (VCVV), bringing the group down to about twenty riders at the top. No real descent afterwards, but a succession of small climbs that won’t change the composition of the group. Back in the valley, very close to Nantua. This year, I took the opportunity to admire the splendid landscapes that somewhat resemble my Vercors region.
Places with relatively little traffic, ideal for cyclists. Still under the impetus of Damien Jeanjean, one of the only ones actively participating in the climbs with Chavant (father and son) as well as Fred Ostian, the group changed little. It was on this plateau, after an attack by a rider from Vaux, accompanied by a teammate, and then finally by Fred, that three riders escaped.
The race heats up
The escapees gained little ground, only about thirty seconds, despite a lack of organization in the chase. I didn’t panic and waited for the climb of Vieux Cerdon, which soon arrived. I attacked from the bottom, a little unsettled because it wasn’t the usual route.
We branched off onto a more rolling climb, then found an alternation of steep sections and flat parts. Aurélien accompanied me with Quentin, and we caught the escapees who were no longer together. At the summit, there were five of us: Aurélien, Quentin, Fred, Damien, and me. But the cooperation wasn’t great, and the two riders from Vaux came back. The descent made us lose Aurélien, still traumatized by his recent crashes. For my part, I had no more difficulties, at least on dry roads. It will come back for him too! A small valley followed, allowing more riders to return, and we tackled the Napt climb.
It was there that we rejoined the 2012 course, which was much more complicated to navigate in the final. Jeanjean set the pace, but very quickly I upped the tempo, and that isolated us to three with Damien and Quentin. But they still didn’t want to work… So I put in another effort, a bit useless except that it increased our lead. At the summit, there was still no cooperation to extend the gap, and Bruno Morel came back.
A tense finish
The last difficulty arrived quickly: the Sermognat climb. In this area, these are climbs of a good ten or fifteen minutes, relatively rolling for this one, around 7 to 9%. As in Napt, Jeanjean accelerated. I left a few meters to see Quentin’s reaction, but nothing.
So, I came back and counter-attacked. I gained a good twenty seconds. Almost all the way to the summit. Then, they caught me very quickly at the end. Quite surprised, I settled into their wheels. But cars hindered the progress of the race on this busy national road. Bruno Morel came back and attacked. I made the junction with Quentin, then attacked in turn. Quentin caught me alone 2 km from the finish. Apparently, he didn’t want to cooperate much until the line, and my chances in a sprint being almost nil, I rode to prevent Jeanjean from coming back to take third place.
I will come back, because this Forestière is among the most beautiful cyclos in the calendar, not for its mythical course like a Marmotte, but for its character, its plateaus, its greenery, and its cows that give good cheese. I was able to enjoy it thoroughly, as I was rewarded for it. From a sporting point of view, I am really satisfied with my race and especially with my physical condition, which bodes well for the future.
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