Navardauskas wins Circuit Sarthe overall

Ramunas Navardauskas (Cannondale-Garmin)

Ramunas Navardauskas (Cannondale-Garmin) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Nacer Bouhanni of Cofidis won the last stage of Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire in Le Lude as well as he opened his record book of the 2015 season with stage 1 in Varades. A change of leader occurred on the last day as Ramunas Navardauskas of Cannondale-Garmin repeated his overall victory and became the fourth rider to win the race back to back since the event became a professional affair, following the path of Bernard Hinault (1975-76), Jean-François Bernard (1992-93) and Melchior Mauri (1997-98).

"To repeat any win two years in a row is huge, plus the way I won it today, it's impressive," commented Navardauskas. "I'm happy with myself, I hope the team is happy with how we rode since we took the command of the peloton with Cofidis on day 1 and kept working hard until we got the overall victory we wanted."

Oleg Tinkov might pretend that no one is interested in "those provincial races that get no TV coverage", but the finale of the 63rd Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire was a thrilling one that is seldom seen in the World Tour.

Navardauskas won two intermediate sprints and took the six seconds he needed to dethrone Manuele Boaro who was pretty unlucky. "My chain dropped three times," the Italian told Cyclingnews. "It happened precisely when I was contesting the third intermediate sprint." Therefore, he couldn't overtake his lead out man Michael Kolar who uselessly claimed one second of time bonus.

Following that last intermediate sprint with 17km to go, Navardauskas kept going and broke clear with Katusha's Tiago Machado who was also in search of the yellow jersey. It took more than one lap of 8.5km to Cofidis to bridge the gap while Boaro managed to make his way back to the peloton after a bike change due to his mechanical. Bouhanni easily won the final sprint.

"With two stage wins, it's been a good Circuit de la Sarthe for me," said the Frenchman who got fined 100CHF for riding with a Cofidis tracksuit rather than the distinctive green jersey of leader of the points classification. "I hadn't won until this week, my early part of the season hasn't been an easy one but I knew the form was there. Only the win was missing. It's been difficult today because of the heat and the fast pace of the race. I'll ride the GP of Denain next week and I'll take a break after that."

"I don't think that I'm a sprinter," echoed Navardauskas. "I wouldn't have been able to sprint against Bouhanni and those guys. It's all due to the work of my team. With strong guys like Alex Howes and Nathan Haas in front of me, I couldn't lose. Even being the youngest team in the World Tour, we've showed that we can fight and compete with big teams like [Tinkoff-]Saxo and Movistar. When Machado attacked, I had to go with him, then why not trying to stay away? We were two strong boys. At least we tried but I wasn't worried that a counter attack could take place."

Full Results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits4:11:56
2Aleksei Tsatevich (Rus) Team KatushaRow 1 - Cell 2
3Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 2 - Cell 2
4Tony Hurel (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 3 - Cell 2
5Leonardo Duque (Col) ColombiaRow 4 - Cell 2
6Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne-Séché EnvironnementRow 5 - Cell 2
7Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling TeamRow 6 - Cell 2
8Raymond Kreder (Ned) Team RoompotRow 7 - Cell 2
9Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La MondialeRow 8 - Cell 2
10Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Team KatushaRow 9 - Cell 2
11Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team EuropcarRow 10 - Cell 2
12Russell Downing (GBr) Cult Energy Pro CyclingRow 11 - Cell 2
13Enrique Sanz (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 12 - Cell 2
14Nathan Haas (Aus) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling TeamRow 13 - Cell 2
15Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Bretagne-Séché EnvironnementRow 14 - Cell 2
16Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - BaloiseRow 15 - Cell 2
17Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ.frRow 16 - Cell 2
18Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Cult Energy Pro CyclingRow 17 - Cell 2
19Jesus Herrada (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 18 - Cell 2
20Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 19 - Cell 2
21Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 20 - Cell 2
22Stephen Cummings (GBr) MTN - QhubekaRow 21 - Cell 2
23Natnael Berhane (Eri) MTN - QhubekaRow 22 - Cell 2
24Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Bretagne-Séché EnvironnementRow 23 - Cell 2
25Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ.frRow 24 - Cell 2
26Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar TeamRow 25 - Cell 2
27Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Team RoompotRow 26 - Cell 2
28Manuele Boaro (Ita) Tinkoff-SaxoRow 27 - Cell 2
29Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - BaloiseRow 28 - Cell 2
30Troels Ronning Vinther (Den) Cult Energy Pro CyclingRow 29 - Cell 2
31Tiago Machado (Por) Team KatushaRow 30 - Cell 2
32Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - BaloiseRow 31 - Cell 2
33Quentin Jauregui (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 32 - Cell 2
34Edwin Avila (Col) ColombiaRow 33 - Cell 2
35Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) MTN - QhubekaRow 34 - Cell 2
36Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bretagne-Séché EnvironnementRow 35 - Cell 2
37Patrick Gretsch (Ger) AG2R La MondialeRow 36 - Cell 2
38Simone Stortoni (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 37 - Cell 2
39Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ.fr0:00:06
40Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ.frRow 39 - Cell 2
41Michel Kreder (Ned) Team RoompotRow 40 - Cell 2
42Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - BaloiseRow 41 - Cell 2
43Laurent Pichon (Fra) FDJ.frRow 42 - Cell 2
44Alessio Taliani (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 43 - Cell 2
45Carlos Mario Ramirez (Col) ColombiaRow 44 - Cell 2
46Thomas Boudat (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 45 - Cell 2
47Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 46 - Cell 2
48Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - BaloiseRow 47 - Cell 2
49Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling TeamRow 48 - Cell 2
50John Gadret (Fra) Movistar TeamRow 49 - Cell 2
51Marinus Cornelis Minnaard (Ned) Wanty - Groupe GobertRow 50 - Cell 2
52Francis De Greef (Bel) Wanty - Groupe GobertRow 51 - Cell 2
53Cayetano Sarmiento (Col) ColombiaRow 52 - Cell 2
54Juan Pablo Valencia (Col) ColombiaRow 53 - Cell 2
55Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - QhubekaRow 54 - Cell 2
56Luis Angel Mate (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 55 - Cell 2
57Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) MTN - QhubekaRow 56 - Cell 2
58Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN - QhubekaRow 57 - Cell 2
59Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Bretagne-Séché EnvironnementRow 58 - Cell 2
60Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling TeamRow 59 - Cell 2
61Michal Kolár (Svk) Tinkoff-SaxoRow 60 - Cell 2
62Carlos Galviz (Ven) Androni Giocattoli0:00:12
63Christian Mager (Ger) Cult Energy Pro CyclingRow 62 - Cell 2
64Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 63 - Cell 2
65Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo0:00:20
66Sander Helven (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:00:51
67Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 66 - Cell 2
68Reinier Honig (Ned) Team RoompotRow 67 - Cell 2
69Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 68 - Cell 2
70Dmitrii Kozonchuk (Rus) Team Katusha0:01:26
71Mike Terpstra (Ned) Team Roompot0:01:41
72Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team0:01:47
73Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Wanty - Groupe GobertRow 72 - Cell 2
74Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team0:03:29
75Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo0:04:20
76Dominique Rollin (Can) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 75 - Cell 2
77Gustav Larsson (Swe) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:04:42
78Rory Sutherland (Aus) Movistar TeamRow 77 - Cell 2
79Juraj Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo0:06:22
80Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) Team Katusha0:10:45
81Etienne Van Empel (Ned) Team Roompot0:11:07
82John Kronborg Ebsen (Den) Androni Giocattoli0:28:07
83Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Androni GiocattoliRow 82 - Cell 2
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Final general classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team15:47:13
2Manuele Boaro (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo0:00:01
3Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar Team0:00:04
4Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha0:00:07
5Nathan Haas (Aus) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team0:00:09
6Stephen Cummings (GBr) MTN - Qhubeka0:00:12
7Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale0:00:20
8Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ.fr0:00:21
9Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement0:00:24
10Aleksei Tsatevich (Rus) Team Katusha0:00:26
11Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar0:00:27
12Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement0:00:28
13Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Team Katusha0:00:32
14Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement0:00:36
15Rasmus Guldhammer (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:00:42
16Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar0:00:43
17Simone Stortoni (Ita) Androni GiocattoliRow 16 - Cell 2
18Jesus Herrada (Spa) Movistar Team0:00:47
19Leonardo Duque (Col) Colombia0:00:48
20Laurent Pichon (Fra) FDJ.fr0:00:49
21Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Team Roompot0:00:50
22Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka0:00:59
23Michel Kreder (Ned) Team Roompot0:01:01
24Benjamin King (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team0:01:05
25Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo0:01:09
26Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka0:01:11
27Francis De Greef (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert0:01:20
28Natnael Berhane (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka0:01:21
29Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:01:35
30Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka0:01:39
31Patrick Gretsch (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale0:01:42
32Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar0:01:46
33Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - BaloiseRow 32 - Cell 2
34Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:01:56
35Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ.fr0:01:57
36Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:02:00
37Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement0:02:12
38Christian Mager (Ger) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:02:30
39Juan Pablo Valencia (Col) Colombia0:03:08
40Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team0:03:31
41Dmitrii Kozonchuk (Rus) Team Katusha0:03:33
42Luis Angel Mate (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:03:40
43Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement0:04:05
44Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ.fr0:04:09
45Thomas Boudat (Fra) Team Europcar0:05:09
46Marinus Cornelis Minnaard (Ned) Wanty - Groupe Gobert0:05:29
47John Gadret (Fra) Movistar Team0:06:28
48Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team0:06:57
49Mike Terpstra (Ned) Team Roompot0:07:15
50Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka0:07:27
51Alessio Taliani (Ita) Androni Giocattoli0:09:06
52Tony Hurel (Fra) Team Europcar0:09:53
53Cayetano Sarmiento (Col) Colombia0:10:11
54Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar0:10:40
55Quentin Jauregui (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:11:01
56Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert0:12:49
57Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:13:05
58Troels Ronning Vinther (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:13:29
59Raymond Kreder (Ned) Team Roompot0:13:30
60Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:13:35
61Gustav Larsson (Swe) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:13:41
62Russell Downing (GBr) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:13:43
63Carlos Galviz (Ven) Androni Giocattoli0:13:55
64Sander Helven (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:14:17
65Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:16:02
66Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:16:12
67Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:16:20
68Edwin Avila (Col) Colombia0:16:22
69Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo0:17:51
70Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ.fr0:19:16
71Michal Kolár (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo0:19:20
72Enrique Sanz (Spa) Movistar Team0:19:23
73Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli0:19:35
74Reinier Honig (Ned) Team Roompot0:20:08
75Etienne Van Empel (Ned) Team Roompot0:20:32
76Carlos Mario Ramirez (Col) Colombia0:21:46
77Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) Team Katusha0:21:54
78Dominique Rollin (Can) Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:24:34
79Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team0:25:05
80Juraj Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo0:25:49
81Rory Sutherland (Aus) Movistar Team0:30:37
82Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Androni Giocattoli0:47:12
83John Kronborg Ebsen (Den) Androni Giocattoli0:54:07
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Points classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits64pts
2Aleksei Tsatevich (Rus) Team Katusha49Row 1 - Cell 3
3Ramunas Navardauskas (Ltu) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team38Row 2 - Cell 3
4Nathan Haas (Aus) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team34Row 3 - Cell 3
5Manuele Boaro (Ita) Tinkoff-Saxo31Row 4 - Cell 3
6Raymond Kreder (Ned) Team Roompot31Row 5 - Cell 3
7Tony Hurel (Fra) Team Europcar28Row 6 - Cell 3
8Quentin Jauregui (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale28Row 7 - Cell 3
9Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar20Row 8 - Cell 3
10Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement20Row 9 - Cell 3
11Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale18Row 10 - Cell 3
12Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha17Row 11 - Cell 3
13Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement17Row 12 - Cell 3
14Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar17Row 13 - Cell 3
15Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale17Row 14 - Cell 3
16Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) Team Katusha15Row 15 - Cell 3
17Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Bretagne-Séché Environnement14Row 16 - Cell 3
18Thomas Boudat (Fra) Team Europcar14Row 17 - Cell 3
19Enrique Sanz (Spa) Movistar Team14Row 18 - Cell 3
20Leonardo Duque (Col) Colombia13Row 19 - Cell 3
21Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ.fr12Row 20 - Cell 3
22Marco Benfatto (Ita) Androni Giocattoli12Row 21 - Cell 3
23Stephen Cummings (GBr) MTN - Qhubeka11Row 22 - Cell 3
24Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Team Katusha11Row 23 - Cell 3
25Michal Kolár (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo11Row 24 - Cell 3
26Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar Team10Row 25 - Cell 3
27Russell Downing (GBr) Cult Energy Pro Cycling10Row 26 - Cell 3
28Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka9Row 27 - Cell 3
29Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ.fr9Row 28 - Cell 3
30Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team9Row 29 - Cell 3
31Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits6Row 30 - Cell 3
32Etienne Van Empel (Ned) Team Roompot5Row 31 - Cell 3
33Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar5Row 32 - Cell 3
34Jesus Herrada (Spa) Movistar Team5Row 33 - Cell 3
35Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka5Row 34 - Cell 3
36Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Team Roompot4Row 35 - Cell 3
37Marinus Cornelis Minnaard (Ned) Wanty - Groupe Gobert4Row 36 - Cell 3
38Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise3Row 37 - Cell 3
39Carlos Mario Ramirez (Col) Colombia3Row 38 - Cell 3
40Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo2Row 39 - Cell 3
41Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits1Row 40 - Cell 3
42Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Androni Giocattoli1Row 41 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Mountains classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResultHeader Cell - Column 3
1Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka28pts
2Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise18Row 1 - Cell 3
3Marinus Cornelis Minnaard (Ned) Wanty - Groupe Gobert13Row 2 - Cell 3
4Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka12Row 3 - Cell 3
5Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Androni Giocattoli12Row 4 - Cell 3
6Thomas Boudat (Fra) Team Europcar10Row 5 - Cell 3
7Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) Team Katusha6Row 6 - Cell 3
8Carlos Mario Ramirez (Col) Colombia5Row 7 - Cell 3
9Quentin Jauregui (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale4Row 8 - Cell 3
10Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha2Row 9 - Cell 3
11Etienne Van Empel (Ned) Team Roompot2Row 10 - Cell 3
12Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka1Row 11 - Cell 3
13Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar1Row 12 - Cell 3
14Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise1Row 13 - Cell 3
15John Gadret (Fra) Movistar Team1Row 14 - Cell 3
16Jesper Hansen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo1Row 15 - Cell 3
17Juraj Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo1Row 16 - Cell 3
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Young rider classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Team Katusha15:47:45
2Louis Meintjes (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka0:00:27
3Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Tinkoff-Saxo0:00:37
4Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Eri) MTN - Qhubeka0:00:39
5Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:01:03
6Johann Van Zyl (RSA) MTN - Qhubeka0:01:07
7Christian Mager (Ger) Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:01:58
8Alberto Bettiol (Ita) Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team0:02:59
9Thomas Boudat (Fra) Team Europcar0:04:37
10Quentin Jauregui (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale0:10:29
11Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:15:30
12Lorenzo Manzin (Fra) FDJ.fr0:18:44
13Michal Kolár (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo0:18:48
14Etienne Van Empel (Ned) Team Roompot0:20:00
15Carlos Mario Ramirez (Col) Colombia0:21:14
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Teams classification
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling Team47:22:44
2Team Katusha0:00:06
3Bretagne-Séché Environnement0:00:20
4MTN - Qhubeka0:00:28
5Tinkoff-Saxo0:00:48
6FDJ.fr0:00:57
7Team Europcar0:01:11
8Team Roompot0:02:52
9Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise0:03:31
10Movistar Team0:05:25
11Wanty - Groupe Gobert0:07:57
12Cult Energy Pro Cycling0:10:28
13AG2R La Mondiale0:11:53
14Colombia0:11:55
15Androni Giocattoli0:21:53
16Cofidis, Solutions Credits0:29:17

 

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Latest on Cyclingnews