Criterium International stage 1: Ben King wins Cannondale's first race of 2015

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Benjamin King won Cannondale-Garmin's first race of the season with victory on stage 1 of the Criterium International in Corsica.

The American came home ahead of breakaway companion Clément Saint Martin (Team Marseille 13 KTM), wining by five seconds. Romain Feillu (Bretagne - Seche Environnement) led the peloton home in third, 39 seconds down on King. The two-man break forged clear after a frantic start to the stage and built up a lead of over four and half minutes over the field.

"It's a great feeling to win here. All I could think about in the final twenty kilometers were my teammates. Especially Langeveld, who was in great condition and had a bad crash yesterday. I also crashed last weekend in Milan-San Remo. We've had some bad luck, but we haven't lost our fighting spirit. So, I desperately wanted to get the win for my teammates. That was my motivation. I'm happy I was able to deliver," King said.

With time bonuses factored in King leads Saint Martin by eight seconds with Feillu at 46 seconds in arrears.

There is little time for King to celebrate his win in Porto-Vecchio with stage 2 taking place later on Saturday afternoon with a 7-kilometre individual time trial. The race concludes on Sunday with a 189.5 kilometre stage from Porto-Vecchio to the Col de l'Ospedale. 

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