Paris-Camembert: Frenchman Pierre Gautherat escapes breakaway partners in final kilometre to win home race

Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) won Paris-Camembert on Tuesday, the Frenchman sprinting home from a select lead group of six to break clear in the final kilometre of the 198km semi-Classic.

The win was 23-year-old Gautherat's first this season, coming ahead of Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) and Maxime Vezie (CIC Pro Cycling Academy).

The French trio were part of a group of six Frenchmen who broke away 30km from the end of the hilly race, eventually holding off the peloton behind to contest the win among themselves.

In the first 10km of the race, a break of five managed to slip away, with Iúri Leitão (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) the most prominent name among the quintet.

The group were limited to an advantage of three minutes during the race, with Cofidis and Unibet Rose Rockets leading the peloton behind.

With much vested interest in catching the break before the finish, they wouldn't stay clear to the end, though Leitão lasted the longest. The Portuguese racer picked up 25 mountain points through the day, too, to win that prize.

He was eventually brought back with 35km to go, having pushed on alone after leaving his breakaway companions behind on the hilly closing circuit, which featured the Côte de l'Angleterre (1.1km at 5.9%) and the Cavée de Crouttes (1.5km at 6.1%).

By that point, there were already several attacks flying from the peloton behind. Cofidis placed two men – Valentin Ferron and Benjamin Thomas – in the new leading group, while Gautherat, Delettre, and Vezie also made it along with Tom Donnewirth (Groupama-FDJ United).

On the challenging run back to the line, the group built a lead of a minute as Unibet Rose Rockets continued to lead the chase. It was enough to ensure they would contest the win among themselves, even if the gap was reduced in the final kilometres.

The last 2km of the race saw Ferron, Thomas, and Gautherat try moves off the front. All were brought back, but Gautherat had enough energy left over to accelerate one last time and beat the rest in the final dash for the finish.

Results

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