Voeckler victorious at Cholet-Pays De Loire with late attack
French champion pleases home crowd
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) has won the second leg of the French Cup, the 24th GP Cholet-Pays de Loire, less than 50 kilometres away from his home in Vendée.
The French champion anticipated the bunch sprint by breaking away solo just before the 3km to go mark. He gained a 10-second lead and barely held off a charging peloton at the finish line. It was a fully French podium with young guns Tony Gallopin (Cofidis) and Benjamin Giraud from the new Continental team La Pomme-Marseille taking second and third place.
"After my two stage wins at Paris-Nice, I realized yesterday at the Classic Loire-Atlantique that it was difficult to win with the benchmark of race favourite," Voeckler said in Cholet. "In the evening I spoke to Anthony Charteau who told me 'if you're marked so much, just wait for the last three kilometres'."
Voeckler followed the advice of his teammate who has been sidelined since he dislocated his shoulder at the Tour of South Africa. Charteau, who was the king of the mountains at last year's Tour de France, will resume racing at the Criterium International next week while Voeckler will battle in Belgium at the GP E3.
"I had my tactic in mind and I didn't change," Voeckler said. "I felt the crowd behind me and it helped me drastically."
But the crowd expressed their displeasure with the French champion's obligation to wear the white jersey as leader of the UCI Europe Tour rather than his iconic blue-white-red national champion's jersey. Gilles Bourdouleix, the mayor of Cholet, who is also Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme's brother-in-law, commented on the issue. "This is an insult to our national colours, they should be respected," he said.
However, the GP Cholet-Pays de Loire was another popular success with big crowds on the roadsides in the vineyards of the Anjou region. There was a long-lasting breakaway with Rafal Majka (Saxo Bank SunGard), Frederik Veuchelen (Vacansoleil-DCM), Cédric Pineau (FDJ), Jérôme Cousin (Team Europcar), Jimmy Casper (Saur-Sojasun), Johannes Frohlinger (Skil-Shimano), Preben Van Hecke (TopSport Vlaanderen) and Armindo Fonseca and Laurent Pichon (Bretagne Schuller).
Van Hecke crossed each of the categorised climbs in first position to secure the mountain price victory. The peloton allowed them a maximum lead of 5:30 but their advantage went down to two minutes at the beginning of the last hour of racing under the action of Cofidis, who didn't have a rider in the break.
With 20km to go, soon after the regrouping, Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar) and Pieter Jacobs (TopSport Vlaanderen) attacked. The pair stayed away for 15 kilometres with the Belgian resisting the peloton longer than his breakaway companion. Moments after Jacobs was absorbed Voeckler launched his spectacular and decisive attack.
1 | Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar | 4:49:36 |
2 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
3 | Benjamin Giraud (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | |
4 | Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
5 | Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
6 | James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
7 | Jean-Luc Delpech (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
8 | Egoitz Garcia Echeguibel (Spa) Caja Rural | |
9 | Fabien Bacquet (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
10 | Romain Hardy (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
11 | Jonas Aaen Jörgensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard | |
12 | Saïd Haddou (Fra) Team Europcar | |
13 | Pim Ligthart (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
14 | Thierry Hupond (Fra) Skil - Shimano | |
15 | Geert Steurs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
16 | Staf Scheirlinckx (Bel) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
17 | Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
18 | Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
19 | Arnaud Labbe (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
20 | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar | |
21 | Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
22 | Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
23 | Laurent Didier (Lux) Saxo Bank Sungard | |
24 | Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ | |
25 | Romain Lemarchand (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
26 | Geert Verheyen (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
27 | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
28 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
29 | Justin Jules (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | |
30 | Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
31 | Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
32 | Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
33 | Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
34 | Koen Barbe (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
35 | Johan Mombaerts (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
36 | Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ | |
37 | Mickael Delage (Fra) FDJ | |
38 | Martijn Keizer (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
39 | Maxime Mederel (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
40 | Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ | |
41 | Sander Armee (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
42 | Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Skil - Shimano | |
43 | Marcello Pavarin (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
44 | Julien Guay (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
45 | Toms Skujinš (Lat) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | |
46 | Dimitri Le Boulch (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
47 | Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
48 | Stéphane Bonsergent (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
49 | Jonathan Patrick McCarty (USA) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
50 | Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
51 | Johan Coenen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
52 | Matthieu Boulo (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
53 | Bert Scheirlinckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
54 | Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar | |
55 | Thomas Degand (Bel) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
56 | Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar | |
57 | Sébastien Duret (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
58 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
59 | Will Routley (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
60 | Julien Loubet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
61 | Yohan Cauquil (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | |
62 | Kevin Lalouette (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
63 | Loïc Desriac (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
64 | Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Skil - Shimano | |
65 | Luke Roberts (Aus) Saxo Bank Sungard | 0:00:13 |
66 | Frédéric Amorison (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | 0:00:17 |
67 | Dimitri Champion (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:00:19 |
68 | Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
69 | Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:22 |
70 | Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:30 |
71 | Arnoud Van Groen (Ned) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
72 | Damien Gaudin (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:00:42 |
73 | Yann Huguet (Fra) Skil - Shimano | 0:00:49 |
74 | Frédéric Guesdon (Fra) FDJ | 0:00:58 |
75 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | 0:01:02 |
76 | Manuele Boaro (Ita) Saxo Bank Sungard | 0:03:36 |
77 | Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | 0:03:39 |
78 | Mads Christensen (Den) Saxo Bank Sungard | 0:04:43 |
79 | Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol) Saxo Bank Sungard | |
80 | Thomas Vernaeckt (Bel) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
81 | Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Veranda's Willems - Accent | |
82 | Flavio De Luna (Mex) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | |
83 | Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
84 | Jimmy Casper (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
85 | Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
86 | Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
87 | Steve Houanard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
88 | Marcel Kittel (Ger) Skil - Shimano | |
89 | Guillemo Lana Baquedano (Spa) Caja Rural | |
90 | Alexander Riabkin (Rus) Caja Rural | |
91 | Daniel Diaz (Arg) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | |
92 | Ruben Reig Conejero (Spa) Caja Rural | |
93 | Joaquin Sobrino (Spa) Caja Rural | |
94 | Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team | |
95 | Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
96 | Steven Tronet (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
97 | Yukihiro Doi (Jpn) Skil - Shimano | 0:05:49 |
98 | Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar | |
99 | Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Skil - Shimano | 0:05:51 |
100 | Anthony Colin (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
101 | Florian Le Corre (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | 0:08:27 |
102 | Olivier Bonnaire (Fra) FDJ | 0:09:58 |
103 | Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ | 0:12:36 |
104 | Ruben Martinez (Spa) Caja Rural | 0:12:53 |
105 | Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Spa) Caja Rural | |
106 | Jerome Cousin (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:14:18 |
107 | Thomas Bonnin (Fra) Skil - Shimano | |
DNF | Steven Van Vooren (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
DNF | Reinier Honig (Ned) Landbouwkrediet | |
DNF | Eric Berthou (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
DNF | Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
DNF | David Boily (Can) Team Spidertech Powered by C10 | |
DNF | Bruno Langlois (Can) Team Spidertech Powered by C10 | |
DNF | John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Arnaud Molmy (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
DNF | Jonathan Thire (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
DNF | Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Velo Club La Pomme-Marseille | |
DNF | Guillaume Faucon (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | |
DNF | Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil - DCM Procycling Team | |
DNF | Rafal Majka (Pol) Saxo Bank SunGard | |
DNF | Damien Monier (Fra) Cofidis le Crédit en Ligne | |
DNF | Jean Eudes Demaret (Fra) Cofidis le Crédit en Ligne | |
DNF | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Velo Club La Pomme-Marseille | |
DNF | Lucas Euser (USA) Team Spidertech Powered by C10 | |
DNF | Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Caja Rural | |
DNF | Laurent Pichon (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
DNF | Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis le Crédit en Ligne | |
DNS | Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Vacansoleil - DCM Procycling Team |
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