Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) sped to his fourth career victory at the GP du Morbihan and his third in a row, beating the Decathlon-CMA CGM duo of Noa Isidore and Paul Lapeira to the finish line in Plumelec.
The Frenchman's 22nd career win came a year on from his most recent win, also at the race. He sprinted to victory from a 29-rider group, beating Isidore to the line at the end of the 190km race.
"This is a very special win for me. Racing in Brittany is always hard and emotional because the public here is incredible. The team rode a perfect race today – they protected me, controlled the attacks and put me in the best position for the final," Cosnefroy said after the race.
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"I’m proud to win after the trust the team put in me. To win in France, my first race for the new team in France, is something I’m very proud of. I’d like to dedicate this win to my Grandfather."
Along with Decathlon, Cosnefroy's UAE team led the chase behind the day's early breakaway of Antonio Jesús Soto (Equipo Kern Pharma), Jean-Loup Fayolle (CIC Pro Cycling Academy), and Max Nielsen (Lucky Sport Cycling Team), with the group caught by the peloton 22km from the finish.
Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg (Lucky Sport Cycling Team) took off shortly afterwards, but the Norwegian wouldn't last out front either as he was caught just inside the final 10km.
The reduced peloton, which had slimmed down on the day's many hills, would instead contest the victory at the finish. After 2,400 metres of climbing and numerous ascents of the Côte de Cadoudal (1.4 km at 5.6%), it was Cosnefroy who proved the quickest finisher.
He stole a march on his rivals in the final sprint, with neither Isidore nor Lapeira able to contend with his closing burst of speed. Further back, Thibaud Gruel (Groupama-FDJ United) and Clément Venturini (Unibet Rose Rockets) rounded out the top five.
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