Degenkolb wins opening stage at 4 Jours de Dunkerque

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John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) won the opening stage of 4 Jours de Dunkerque to notch his first victory of the 2012 season. The 23-year-old German prevailed in Coquelles from a 10-man lead group which formed in the closing kilometres of the hilly finale.

Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) led out the sprint, but Degenkolb's finishing kick was too much in the approach to the finish line. Danilo Napolitano (Acqua & Sapone) finished a bike length behind Degenkolb for second, while Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ-Big Mat) rounded out the top three.

With the stage winner's time bonus Degenkolb leads general classification by four seconds over Napolitano and five seconds over Fedrigo.

Five riders were on the attack entering the endgame of the 169km stage from Dunkerque to Coquelles. The breakaway was comprised of Damien Gaudin (Europcar), Bert-Jan Lindeman (Vacansoleil-DCM), Alessandro Bazzana (Team Type 1-Sanofi), Mickael Olejnik (Veranda Rideau-Super U) and Dimitri Le Boulch (Auber 93).

Cooperation ended in the lead group with 35km to go as Gaudin attacked his four breakaway companions and rolled along alone at the head of affairs. Five kilometres later he held a 30-second lead over the other members of the break while the peloton trailed at 1:46.

Gaudin's former breakaway companions were swept up with 18km remaining and on the rolling parcours the peloton began to fracture.

Gaudin found himself with company at 12km to go as five riders left the clutches of the field and bridged to the solo Frenchman: Jérôme Pineau and Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ-Big Mat), Romain Zingle (Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne) and Julien Guay (Roubaix Lille Metropole).

Gaudin slotted in at the back of this group, but couldn't handle the pace on a climb with 7km remaining and was dropped.

Five more riders made their way across to the lead group at 5km remaining to form the final 10-man selection: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Acqua & Sapone's Danilo Napolitano and Carlos Betancur, plus John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano).

4 Jours de Dunkerque marked Stybar's first road race of the season following a rest period from his winter cyclo-cross campaign and the Czech showed he's rested and ready to race with a solo attack at 4km to go.

Stybar was brought back and Zingle immediately launched a counter-attack, however Omega Pharma-Quickstep neutralised the Cofidis rider's acceleration.

The Belgian ProTeam took control of the race heading into the final kilometre, but Degenkolb's finishing kick would deliver the German his first win of the season.