Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) attacked with 500 metres to go and won Boucles de l'Aulne à Châteaulin with room to spare. Benoît Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) led the chasing bunch two seconds back for second place, ahead of Clément Venturini (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) who placed third.
The winding 183.1km course around Brittany included 12 passes of the finish line, with Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) attacking on the final lap. He was caught with 5km to go to set up the bunch sprint.
"The guys did a really good job to get me in a good position in the last corner. I saw that there was already a small gap after the corner, I felt good and I thought: it's now or never," Askey said.
"I knew I could hold on, so I went for it full gas, and I saw that I opened up a gap straight away. I hadn't planned on doing this at all, but I managed to read the race. I hate having regrets, waiting, and then thinking I should have done this or that. As soon as you see the 300-meter, 200-meter signs, it's easier to bear the pain.
"I came close to victory several times, and I was afraid it would never come. I'm extremely happy to finally get it today. It's great and it takes off some pressure. Everyone told me that the first victory could make things click. I'm waiting to see that, but I hope."
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