Westra wins Classic Loire Atlantique

Lieuwe Westra took the honours at the Classic Loire-Atlantique to seal his first win since the 2009 Tour of Picardy, but it came as no surprise to anyone who watched Paris-Nice last week. The Dutchman from Vacansoleil-DCM was very active during the “race to the sun,” where he finished sixth in the stage six time trial. This followed his second place behind Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) at the Tour of Algarve time trial. He has thus begun 2011 as he concluded his 2010 season, when he was a strong third place at the Chrono des Nations behind David Millar and Edvald Boasson Hagen.

For the first time, the ten-year-old Classic Loire-Atlantique was upgraded to 1.1 status. The race was held on a 16.8km circuit to be covered eleven times around La Haye-Fouassière near Nantes in the vineyards of the Muscadet.

“This is a very nice race with no flat section,” Westra said. “I knew I had a good condition after Paris-Nice but it was only after two or three hours of racing here that my legs started to feel good. In the breakaway with the three other guys, I took it very easy.”

With 35 kilometres to go, the decisive breakaway took shape. Anthony Geslin (FDJ), Jean-Marc Marino (Saur-Sojasun) and Frédéric Amorison (Landbouwkrediet) accompanied Westra. Their maximum lead over the bunch was only 55 seconds with 13km to go.

The Europcar team rode hard to close the gap and prepared a counter attack by Thomas Voeckler, who was followed by defending champion Laurent Mangel (Saur-Sojasun). A group of five with Serguey Lagutin (Vacansoleil-DCM), Bert Scheirlinckx (Landbouwkrediet), Julien Antomarchi and Yohan Cauquil (La Pomme-Marseille) and Arnoud Van Groen (Vérandas Willems) bridged the gap with 4km to go. Scheirlinckx attacked in the finale, but Westra caught him with 300 metres to go and went on past him.

“When I reached his back wheel, I stayed there for 100 metres and I thought: this is for me to win, and I gave it all,” Westra told Cyclingnews after the finish. “Voeckler was the strongest but many riders were looking at him, not at me. I’m happier to be here to win than to be at Milan-San Remo with no result.”

Voeckler said he had no regrets about his race. “I tried to win and we did our best for that but I just needed to recover from my brutal efforts when they (Scheirlinckx and Westra) attacked,” the French champion said.

Voeckler and Westra were two of the best riders at Paris-Nice, and Voeckler will be out for revenge on Sunday when the two men line up at the French Cup event Cholet-Pays de Loire.

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Full Results
1Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team4:31:45
2Bert Scheirlinckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet0:00:02
3Yohan Cauquil (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille0:00:09
4Toms Skujinš (Lat) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille0:00:16
5Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team0:00:22
6Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJRow 5 - Cell 2
7Frédéric Amorison (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 6 - Cell 2
8Laurent Mangel (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 7 - Cell 2
9Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Veranda's Willems - AccentRow 8 - Cell 2
10Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 9 - Cell 2
11Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur - Sojasun0:00:28
12Jonas Aaen Jörgensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard0:00:36
13Davy Commeyne (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 12 - Cell 2
14Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - MercatorRow 13 - Cell 2
15Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Skil - ShimanoRow 14 - Cell 2
16Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet0:00:40
17Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 930:00:49
18Justin Jules (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme MarseilleRow 17 - Cell 2
19Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling TeamRow 18 - Cell 2
20Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team EuropcarRow 19 - Cell 2
21Luke Roberts (Aus) Saxo Bank SungardRow 20 - Cell 2
22Benjamin Giraud (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme MarseilleRow 21 - Cell 2
23Marcello Pavarin (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling TeamRow 22 - Cell 2
24Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJRow 23 - Cell 2
25Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La MondialeRow 24 - Cell 2
26Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - MercatorRow 25 - Cell 2
27Thierry Hupond (Fra) Skil - ShimanoRow 26 - Cell 2
28Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne - SchullerRow 27 - Cell 2
29Arnaud Labbe (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En LigneRow 28 - Cell 2
30Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Caja RuralRow 29 - Cell 2
31Rony Martias (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 30 - Cell 2
32Manuele Boaro (Ita) Saxo Bank SungardRow 31 - Cell 2
33Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 32 - Cell 2
34James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Veranda's Willems - AccentRow 33 - Cell 2
35Romain Lemarchand (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 34 - Cell 2
36Matthieu Boulo (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole0:07:05
37Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) Skil - Shimano0:00:49
38Rafal Majka (Pol) Saxo Bank SungardRow 37 - Cell 2
39Mathieu Halleguen (Fra) Bretagne - SchullerRow 38 - Cell 2
40Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 39 - Cell 2
41Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling TeamRow 40 - Cell 2
42Steven Van Vooren (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - MercatorRow 41 - Cell 2
43Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling TeamRow 42 - Cell 2
44Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Caja RuralRow 43 - Cell 2
45Will Routley (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10Row 44 - Cell 2
46Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 45 - Cell 2
47Arnaud Gerard (Fra) FDJRow 46 - Cell 2
48Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 47 - Cell 2
49Ruben Reig Conejero (Spa) Caja RuralRow 48 - Cell 2
50Ludovic Turpin (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 49 - Cell 2
51Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Veranda's Willems - AccentRow 50 - Cell 2
52Koen Barbe (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 51 - Cell 2
53Steve Houanard (Fra) AG2R La MondialeRow 52 - Cell 2
54Geert Verheyen (Bel) LandbouwkredietRow 53 - Cell 2
55Mads Christensen (Den) Saxo Bank SungardRow 54 - Cell 2
56Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - MercatorRow 55 - Cell 2
57Steven Tronet (Fra) Roubaix Lille MetropoleRow 56 - Cell 2
58Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - SchullerRow 57 - Cell 2
59Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA) Team Spidertech Powered By C10Row 58 - Cell 2
60Julien Guay (Fra) Roubaix Lille MetropoleRow 59 - Cell 2
61Daniel Diaz (Arg) Velo-Club La Pomme MarseilleRow 60 - Cell 2
62Yann Huguet (Fra) Skil - ShimanoRow 61 - Cell 2
63Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme MarseilleRow 62 - Cell 2
64Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Velo-Club La Pomme MarseilleRow 63 - Cell 2
65Johan Coenen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - MercatorRow 64 - Cell 2
66Cyril Bessy (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 65 - Cell 2
67Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - MercatorRow 66 - Cell 2
68Gael Malacarne (Fra) Bretagne - SchullerRow 67 - Cell 2
69Bruno Langlois (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10Row 68 - Cell 2
70Kevin Lalouette (Fra) Roubaix Lille MetropoleRow 69 - Cell 2
71Florian Guillou (Fra) Bretagne - SchullerRow 70 - Cell 2
72Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur - SojasunRow 71 - Cell 2
73Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Bretagne - SchullerRow 72 - Cell 2
74Loïc Desriac (Fra) Roubaix Lille MetropoleRow 73 - Cell 2
75Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Spa) Caja Rural0:01:30
76Marcel Kittel (Ger) Skil - Shimano0:02:03
77Ruben Martinez (Spa) Caja RuralRow 76 - Cell 2
78Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar0:07:05
79Olivier Bonnaire (Fra) FDJRow 78 - Cell 2
80Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling TeamRow 79 - Cell 2
81Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En LigneRow 80 - Cell 2
82Yohann Gene (Fra) Team EuropcarRow 81 - Cell 2

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