Anthony Roux rules France

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Anthony Roux (FDJ) came out on top in a thrilling race at the French national championships with powerful sprint to hold off Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) and Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step  Floors). FDJ used their numbers in the finale perfectly to set up the win. With the line in sight Turgis opened up his sprint but Roux had enough in the tank to come back on terms and then take the win by a comfortable distance.

The win marked Roux's first French champion title as he won a six-man sprint in Mantes-la-Jolie near Paris.

"I can't believe it," Roux said. "For so many years, I've been close to winning, also in the time trial [4th on Thursday]. I made the podium twice and once I was disqualified [for causing the crash of Nacer Bouhanni [in 2015]. I was afraid that I was not able to target the victory any more. I didn't think the course would suit me. But the race went to perfection. I did everything to perform here after the Giro. Hadn't Alaphilippe come across, Rudy Molard would have been the French champion. I wasn't confident to beat Alaphilippe. When Turgis forced me to sprint from far out, it helped me to have a 56 gear at the front. We don't become French championz by coincidence. It's great to keep the title in the team."

Founded in 1997 by the Madiot brothers who were themselves French champions in 1986 (Yvon) and 1987 (Marc), the FDJ team took the title only once in fifteen years, with Nicolas Vogondy in 2002. Roux keeps the winning streak that started with Nacer Bouhanni in 2012, followed by Arthur Vichot in 2013 (and again in 2016) and Arnaud Démare in 2014 (and again in 2017), and was only interrupted by the victory of continental rider Steven Tronet for Auber 93 in 2015.

Now renamed Groupama-FDJ, they kept the race under their control from start to finish, first pulling behind early attackers Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R-La Mondiale), Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie), Maxime Daniel (Fortuneo-Samsic) and Marc Fournier (Vital Concept). Secondly, they had six riders in the 31-man front group that was formed after 50km of racing, including up and coming climber David Gaudu, who is the replacement for Thibaut Pinot as the team's climber at the Tour de France next week. The other French WorldTour team AG2R-La Mondiale was also represented by six riders while all eyes were on defending champion Arnaud Démare who was again the hot favourite as it could have been another sprint finish, even in a reduced bunch. But the heat took its toll.

Groupama-FDJ kept Démare's hopes alive as they maintained the gap at around three minutes. They outnumbered their rivals after half way when the front group split. Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, Romain Seigle and Benjamin Thomas upped the tempo while their teammates stopped pacing the peloton.

Rémi Cavagna (Quick Step Floors) was the first to bridge the gap from the peloton to the escapees with 50km to go. Counter attacks kept going after that. Successively, it brought the likes of Roux, Vichot, Molard (Groupama-FDJ), Warren Barguil (Fortuneo-Samsic), Guillaume Martin (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale) into contention for the blue-white-red jersey.

Molard rode away with Jimmy Turgis (Cofidis) and Johan Le Bon (Vital Concept) but a strong attack from the bunch was launched by Alaphilippe and the other Turgis [Anthony] from Cofidis. Pierre Latour (AG2R-La Mondiale) also came from behind.

There were eventually were six to contest the title: Molard, Roux, Turgis, Martin, Latour and Alaphilippe. Groupama-FDJ were the only team with two riders after Vichot cramped with 6km to go, and Molard sacrificed himself for Roux who won from a very long sprint that he launched 300 metres before the line. The jersey remains in the same camp but Roux isn't part of the Tour de France team.

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