3rd Paris-Corrèze - 2.3

France, September 26-28, 2003

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Stage 1 - September 26: Ormes - Saint-Amand Montrond, 193 km

Kirsipuu strikes again

By Jean-François Quénet in Saint-Amand-Montrond

Jaan Kirsipuu
Photo: © JF Quenet

Paris-Corrèze is a three day stage race for stars in the centre of France. It's organised by two time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon, and the patron is five time Formula One world champion Alain Prost. An event like this can only be won by super champion, surely? For the first time when it replaced the Polymultipliée on the calendar in 2001, Thor Hushovd was the final winner. Last year it was Baden Cooke's first win in the overall classification of a stage race.

Cooke was seeking another win this time in St-Amand-Montrond, but he found his master in his way again. When Cooke joined La Française des Jeux two years ago, it was predicted that the Benalla bullet would win in France all the races won in the past by Jaan Kirsipuu! However, the Estonian wolf is still around. Aged 34, he still knows how to win a bike race.

"I've actually won more races (12) than Cooke (7) this year, but he's got better quality wins than me," Kirsipuu stated. "It's sometimes difficult for me to keep winning. For example today Mark Scanlon did a fantastic job for me in the last one and half kilometres, but with only one teammate it wasn't easy. And it was a slow false flat uphill finish. It's also hard because everyone watches me in the finale. Even Cooke was on my wheel when Franck Renier started sprinting."

The La Boulangère rider who finished 2nd in the GP Isbergues last Sunday took off with 300 metres to go. "He blocked me in," Cooke explained. "Then I had to go around him and back up but I lost by this much." He indicated 20 centimetres, which is approximately the gap between Kirsipuu and him.

Cooke and Wilson
Photo: © JF Quenet

The Australian looks a little mentally tired at the end of the season. He'll ride until Paris-Tours, which is his last and only real goal left for 2003, the next day he'll undergo surgery in Paris to get rid of the saddle sore problem which prevented him from riding Paris-Roubaix this year. It means he will not take part in the World's and will not defend his title at the Herald Sun Tour.

Kirsipuu's motivation is still high. He also has in mind to finally claim a world cup win in Paris-Tours. "But I know Cooke isn't the only young sprinter riding against me," the Estonian said. "JP Nazon also has beaten me a few times." Kirsipuu and Tour de France yellow jersey Nazon will be team-mates at Ag2r next year.

As Paris-Corrèze is also a warm-up for the world championship, Cédric Vasseur has confirmed he'll be a worthy French team captain in Hamilton. He went for a 48 kilometre breakaway with Eddy Lembo of Palmans-Collstrop. The pair had a maximum lead of 2'20" and got caught with 7km to go by the action of Ag2r and FDJeux.com. Not surprisingly, the final sprint was a duel between Cooke and Kirsipuu.

The Cookie monster may be at the end of his motivation reserves for this year, but stage 2 may see him in action again. With two category 1 climbs and the uphill finish to the ski station at Besse, something different than a bunch sprint will happen.

Photography

Images by Jean-Francois Quenet

Local boys Jeremy Roy and Nicolas Vogondy at the start in Ormes
Aussie mates Baden Cooke and Matt Wilson
Noosa boy Ben Johnson is a stagiaire with Cofidis but will definitely join Stuart O'Grady's new team at the end of the 2004 season that he will ride in France for VC Roubaix
Spot the mistake! Gabriel Rasch is the Norwegian champion but he has never been the World Champion, Team Ringerike's captain is actually using Kurt Asle Arvesen's old jersey.
Do you think Matt Wilson was exhausted after working for Baden Cooke?
The 12th win this year for Jaan Kirsipuu
GP Plouay winner Andy Flickinger is the king of the mountains after stage 1.
Robert Forster (Gerolsteiner) is the best espoir at the end of stage 1
Jaan Kirsipuu is a worthy leader of Paris-Corrèze

Results

1 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prevoyance                      3.59.56 (47.738 km/h)
2 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com
3 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner
4 Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Lotto-Domo
5 Franck Renier (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
6 Plamen Stoianov (Bul) Big.Mat-Auber 93
7 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole
8 Bastiaan Gilling (Ned) Rabobank TTIII
9 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Lotto-Domo
10 Alexei Markov (Rus) Lokomotiv
11 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
12 Geert Vanderaerden (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
13 Walter Bénéteau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
14 Janek Tombak (Est) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone
15 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Jean Delatour
16 Christophe Rinero (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
17 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) Crédit Agricole
18 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
19 Franck Pencolé (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
20 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Jean Delatour

General classification after stage 1

1 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prevoyance                      3.59.46
2 Baden Cooke (Aus) FDJeux.com                                0.04
3 Robert Förster (Ger) Gerolsteiner                           0.06
4 Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone        0.07
5 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Ag2r-Prevoyance                      0.08
6 Benny De Schrooder (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop                  0.09
7 Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Lotto-Domo                              0.10
8 Franck Renier (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
9 Plamen Stoyanov (Bul) Big.Mat-Auber 93
10 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Credit Agricole
11 Bastiaan Giling (Ned) Rabobank TT III
12 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Lotto-Domo
13 Alexei Markov (Rus) Lokomotiv
14 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
15 Gert Vanderaerden (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
16 Walter Beneteau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
17 Janek Tombak (Est) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone
18 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Jean Delatour
19 Christophe Rinero (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
20 Geoffroy Lequatre (Fra) French U23 National Team
21 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
22 Franck Pencole (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
23 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Jean Delatour
24 Andrey Mizourov (Kaz) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
25 Rik Verbrugghe (Bel) Lotto-Domo
26 Alexei Sivakov (Rus) Big.Mat-Auber 93
27 Nicolas Fritsch (Fra) FDJeux.com
28 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Rabobank TT III
29 Axel Merckx (Bel) Lotto-Domo
30 Kurt Asle Arvesen (Nor) Team fakta
31 Sergeï Krushevskiy (Uzb) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
32 Pierre Bourquenoud (Swi) Jean Delatour
33 Stéphane Goubert (Fra) Jean Delatour
34 Andy Flickinger (Fra) Ag2r-Prevoyance
35 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) Lotto-Domo
36 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Jean Delatour
37 Médéric Clain (Fra) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone
38 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
39 Michael Skelde (Den) Team fakta
40 Marek Rutkiewicz (Pol) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone
41 Laurent Lefevre (Fra) Jean Delatour
42 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
43 Mickael Pichon (Fra) FDJeux.com
44 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJeux.com
45 Ludovic Auger (Fra) Big.Mat-Auber 93
46 Jens Voigt (Ger) Credit Agricole
47 Sébastien Talabardon (Fra) Big.Mat-Auber 93
48 Niels Scheuneman (Ned) Rabobank TT III
49 Frédéric Bessy (Fra) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone
50 Gabriel Rasch (Nor) Team Ringerike
51 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank TT III
52 Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank TT III
53 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner
54 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole
55 Christophe Agnolutto (Fra) Ag2r-Prevoyance
56 Yoann Le Boulanger (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
57 Maryan Hary (Fra) Brioches La Boulangère
58 Frédéric Gabriel (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
59 Jörgen Bo Petersen (Den) Team fakta
60 Alexander Serov (Rus) Lokomotiv
61 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) FDJeux.com
62 Ludovic Turpin (Fra) Ag2r-Prevoyance
63 Kilian Patour (Fra) French U23 National Team
64 Olivier Bonnaire (Fra) French U23 National Team
65 Kevin Van Impe (Bel) Lotto-Domo
66 Mark Scanlon (Irl) Ag2r-Prevoyance
67 Mathieu Claude (Fra) French U23 National Team
68 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Credit Agricole
69 Sébastien Talabardon (Fra) Big.Mat-Auber 93                0.32
70 Steffen Weigold (Ger) Gerolsteiner                         0.39
71 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) Credit Agricole
72 Guillaume Auger (Fra) Big.Mat-Auber 93
73 Nicolas Meunier (Fra) Big.Mat-Auber 93
74 Uwe Hardter (Ger) Gerolsteiner
75 Erwin Thijs (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
76 Michael Rich (Ger) Gerolsteiner
77 Ben Johnson (Aus) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone
78 Steve De Wolf (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
79 Nicolas Dulac (Fra) Jean Delatour
80 Jean-Cyril Robin (Fra) FDJeux.com
81 Hans De Clercq (Bel) Lotto-Domo
82 Leif Hoste (Bel) Lotto-Domo
83 Stéphane Barthe (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
84 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) French National U23 Team
85 Uwe Peschel (Ger) Gerolsteiner
86 Julien Mazet (Fra) French National U23 Team
87 Eddy Seigneur (Fra) Jean Delatour
88 Mathieu Sprick (Fra) French National U23 Team
89 Rory Sutherland (Aus) Rabobank TT III
90 Pieter Weening (Ned) Rabobank TT III
91 Stéphane Berges (Fra) Ag2r-Prevoyance
92 Yves Delarue (Fra) Big.Mat Auber 93
93 Maxime Mederel (Fra) French National U23 Team
94 Fredrik Modin (Swe) Team fakta
95 Matthew Wilson (Aus) FDJeux.com
96 Thierry De Groote (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
97 Thomas Dekkers (Bel) Rabobank TT III
98 Martin Rittsel (Swe) Team fakta                            0.54
99 Christophe Edaleine (Fra) Jean Delatour
100 Stéphane Auge (Fra) Credit Agricole
101 Julien Guiborel (Fra) Credit Agricole                     1.57
102 Eddy Lembo (Fra) Palmans-Collstrop                        2.59
103 Jeremy Roy (Fra) FDJeux.com                               4.23
104 Frederik Penne (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop
105 Damien Monier (Fra) Cofidis-Le Crédit par Téléphone       5.27
106 Erkki Putsepp (Est) Ag2R-Prevoyance                       5.29
107 Pavel Broutt (Rus) Lokomotiv                             12.04
108 Serguei Klimov (Rus) Lokomotiv
109 Philippe Koehler (Fra) MBK-Oktos-Saint-Quentin
110 Sven Krauss (Ger) Gerolsteiner