LANGKAWI — Geoffrey Bouchard's rewrite of his professional farewell went off script at Le Tour de Langkawi, where a crash on stage 1 left the Frenchman with a broken collarbone and stitches to his face and ended the final race of his nine-year career before the first GC test.
After a retirement false dawn in 2025, Bouchard had been given a do-over when TotalEnergies offered a contract for 2026, saving him from walking away injured after crashing out at the Tour de Luxembourg last year. Lining up with the defending champions — who won the 2026 edition last year with Joris Delbove — offered a chance to savour a knowing final race. "I had some good results in exotic races," said Bouchard, who has stood on the podium on a stage of the UAE Tour and finished top 10 overall as well as taken stage and overall podiums at the Tour of Oman. "I did sometimes very good results in hot conditions, and I'm very happy to do a last journey to finish my career differently."
Instead history repeated, with Bouchard bandaged and in a sling on the sidelines before the crucial stage 2 summit finish at Gunung Jerai, the race's challenging new climb. Sports director Thibaut Mace said Bouchard would have been the next plan after the team lost its top options — Jordan Jegat, tenth overall at the Tour de France this year, was called up late to the French team at the Road World Championships to replace an injured Louis Barré, and replacement Nicolas Breuillard was unwell on the day of the climb. Forced to turn to an untested alternative, Mathis Le Berre delivered. "We knew at the start of the day that it wouldn't be the day we wanted and so yeah, we managed to do the best for the team with Mathis, and Mathis did a great, great climb. He's not a climber, but he finished eighth at the top, so that's something really good," Mace told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 2. "That was the day to try, the moment to try, and he gave the team something really really interesting for the future."
Le Berre now sits eighth overall, 1:36 behind race leader Lennart Jasch of Tudor Pro Cycling, with two more summit finishes to come in the Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands on Wednesday and Thursday. Mace said the less steep gradients should suit the Frenchman better. "Because he's not a climber, so as it's less steep, it suits him better than yesterday," said Mace. "So that's why we are confident in him, and we will play all we can together."