There is no doubt that Laurence Pithie has left a huge impression in the opening months of his second season in the WorldTour, and as a result, the opportunities are rapidly expanding for the rider from New Zealand who will on Sunday debut at his first Monument, Milan-San Remo, with some big ambitions.
The Groupama-FDJ rider, who secured his first WorldTour win in January with a carefully played hand at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, also stepped up to the podium twice at Paris-Nice earlier this month. The number on the results sheet at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne – just the second cobbled Classic of his career – may have been a far less impressive 43rd but his performance during the race, where he was in the break alongside eventual winner Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) was revelatory.
Milan-San Remo on Saturday will provide a whole new experience – the 288km length for a start adds another layer of challenge – and fierce competitors such as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) have entered the fray. However, the season so far has provided plenty of evidence that Pithie is not prepared to curb his ambitions or stop striving for that next step up.
"The last 10 kilometres are among the most exciting of the year and I'm hoping to race them in the leading group and come away with a good result," Pithie said in a team media release. "I know there's a lot of competition, but at the start my aim is always to win."
Milan-San Remo is a race where the French team has tasted success in the past, with Arnaud Démare winning in 2016 and stepping onto the podium in third in 2018, but could certainly do with a fillip to their Milan-San Remo results.
"Milan-San Remo is a race where everything happens in the final," said Groupama-FDJ sports director Yvon Caër. "Over the last few years, we've seen a change in strategy on the part of the teams. Before, victory was decided by a small group of riders in a sprint; now, it's a more physical race with strong attacks and leaders who open hostilities earlier in the race. We're going to have to adapt to the pace up to the summit of the Cipressa, and be in a good position on the Poggio to move up with the best."
The Groupama-FDJ squad includes Sven Erik Bystrøm, Lorenzo Germani, Stefan Küng, Quentin Pacher, Clément Russo and Sam Watson.
"In our colours, we'll have some experienced riders, but also Laurence Pithie who will be discovering his first Monument on terrain that may suit him," said Caër.
While the terrain may suit the 21-year-old, he is also well aware that the course will provide a new challenge and new test of his capacity, given the 288km distance.
"It'll be the longest race of my life, so that's obviously a factor to take into account," said Pithie. "We'll have to save our energy and be very well placed at the strategic points."
