On Sunday 19 April, Célia Gery won the Chambéry Women’s Grand Prix, securing a second consecutive victory in two days for FDJ UNITED-SUEZ.
In this 23rd edition of the Savoyard race, held around Chambéry-le-Vieux in Savoie, Célia claimed victory over a 122.1-kilometre course, which counted as the first round of the FDJ United French Women’s Professional Cup. The 150 riders at the start had to cross the finish line ten times, alternating between five large 15.7 km loops and five smaller 8.7 km loops in the Chambéry area, covering a total of over 1,800 metres of elevation gain.
The pace was high right from the start, largely driven by the team, which prevented any breakaway from forming but led to a series of attacks and cullings that quickly reduced the peloton. By the 70-kilometre mark, the leading group had been whittled down to just thirty riders. Marie made her move 45 kilometres from the finish, quickly opening up a 25-second gap before being reeled back in.
In the final stretch, on the gruelling finish line climb, Célia didn’t wait until the last few metres to make her move: she launched her attack early, catching her rivals off guard and winning by a comfortable margin. Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) finished second, 8 seconds behind, whilst Lore De Schepper (AG Insurance-Soudal) completed the podium, 9 seconds behind.
This success is all the more remarkable given that Célia Gery, aged just 20, had already won the Brabantse Pijl two days earlier, thus achieving an exceptional double within 48 hours.