If the next few months are like the Tour of Catalonia for Israel-Premier Tech, the team can look forward to victories sooner rather than later. This is at least the opinion of Guillaume Boivin who said he was satisfied with the work carried out this week, both individually and collectively.
True to form, the Quebecer worked for the leaders of his training, including Michael Woods, 13th in the last stage won on Sunday in the sprint by the Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step).
The Ontarian thus consolidated his 6th place in the general classification, finishing just over 3 minutes behind the winner, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma). The latter ranked 2nd of the day at the end of the event, maintaining a priority of 6 seconds over Evenepoel in the cumulative of the week.
“As a team, I would say this is one of our best [stage] races in a long time,” Boivin said straight away in a phone interview with Sportcom.
On a more personal note, the veteran was the only member of his team to withdraw from the last stage presented in Barcelona, over a course of 136 kilometers. Not because of an injury or a mechanical problem, but rather for strategic purposes in view of his next outings.
“It was a decision planned in advance,” said the one who will return to action on Wednesday at the race Through Flanders. “I worked for the team until the final circuit and I quit to keep my strength up. I’m going to take the plane tonight and we’ll immediately look at what’s to come in Belgium. »
Pumped up, Boivin circled a few important dates on his calendar, including April 9. He will then be at the start of his favorite event, Paris-Roubaix, where he finished ninth after a spectacular race in 2021.
“It’s always special to race there and we’ll definitely try our luck again,” he said.
But before venturing too far in his thoughts, the 33-year-old Montrealer will focus on the short term, starting with his race on Wednesday and the Tour of Flanders scheduled for next Sunday.
“Personally, these are races that suit me well. I have very good legs right now, we will have a big team and I think we can still be able to stand out,” concluded Boivin.