After Nairo Quintana (Alcare Samsic) took the overall win in Aix-en-Provence on Sunday, two mantras were prevalent at the Tour de la Provence as the teams packed their bags and moved on.

Meanwhile, in the team corners of Arkea-Samsic, Ineos, Astana, and Detunink-Quickstep, the phrase "We have to be ready in February" was flying around.

EF Pro Cycling had Hugh Carthy shining across the Atlantic with Colombian stars, Jumbo Visma with all three Grand Tour leaders off, and Sepp Kuss and a perfect showcase of his climbing skills, Mont Ventoux He thanked the team for their support.

Meanwhile, Grupama-FDJ was smoldering without a race to contend with, which will give Thibaut Pinot the material to judge how he is doing in the remaining four months after being away from racing for seven months. Pinot himself was candid about his current form. I was hoping for a better result," he said. There is still work to be done."

Considering the length of the break, this may be justified, but a podium finish at the higher level Paris-Nice seems far away from this result. Perhaps the next Tour du Haut Var will be a good benchmark to evaluate the Frenchman's return to racing.

AG2R La Mondiale is largely unknown, and the team's most notable moment came when 2018 Tour de la Provence winner Alexandre Jenyes, seemingly suffering from an ongoing decline in form, lost contact with the peloton early in the second stage and was forced to abandon the He was forced to abandon the race when he lost contact with the peloton early in the second stage.

But while Quintana was close to a veteran as the winner, the race was for young, fresh riders like Trek-Segafredo's Charlie Quarterman and Cous who thrive on tough terrain.

Meanwhile, Astana's Alexandre Vlasov, who won a stage on day two, Deceuninck-Quick Step's Remi Cabaña, who scored the breakaway, and American teammate Ian Garrison, who finished third on the final stage to Aix-en-Provence, all made big left a lasting impression.