Bouhanni defends title at GP de Denain

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Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) continued his run of success at the Grand Prix de Denain, winning the hectic, high-speed sprint that decided the French one-day race on Thursday.

Bouhanni got a perfect lead out from his Cofidis teammates and then accelerated from his rivals to win by a bike length, with his arms in the air. Boris Vallee (Lotto Soudal) was second and Ruby Barbier (Roubaix Lille Metropole) finished third.

It was Bouhanni's second consecutive win at the Grand Prix de Denain and especially pleasing for the Frenchman because the Cofidis headquarters is not far away.

"The team did a great job today and the train was absolutely perfect, I had to win…" Bouhanni said as he caught his breath after the sprint.

Thanks to his two stage wins at the last week's Circuit Sarthe and other placing in early-season French races, Bouhanni now leads the Coupe de France season-long competition but is happier to be winning regularly after a series of frustrating placing early in the season.

"The Coupe de France is not really a goal for me, it was more about winning," he admitted. "I like racing up here, it's always been good to me. It's good to win, it's good for morale. I've got a training camp coming up next and then I'll ride the Bayern Rundefahrt in Germany."

How it happened

The Grand Prix de Denain covers the lanes and roads of northern France, south of Lille and close to the border with Belgium. The same area hosts many of the cobbled sectors used in Paris-Roubaix but the Grand Prix de Denain is traditionally a race for the sprinters. The 204km route of this 56th edition included a loop north of Valenciennes and then three 20km laps of a finishing circuit, giving riders a chance to see the finale for the expected sprint finish.

The break of the day formed after 60km, with Ludwig de Winter (Wallonnie Bruxelles), Alexandre Geniez (FDJ) and Sebastien Turgot (Ag2r-La Mondiale) going clear and opening a three-minute lead. The peloton let them hang out front all day, with Cofidis left with the responsibility of chasing them down. However, the French Professional Continental team was up to the job and the trio had a lead of 1:30 with one lap remaining.

The trio's lead melted as the kilometres ticked down and in the last 15 kilometres, only Geniez had the legs and desire to push on alone. He forced the peloton to work hard, with Europcar also hitting the front for Bryan Coquard. However, Geniez was eventually swept up with four kilometres to go.

By then the Cofidis team were leading the peloton with five riders lined-up ahead of Bouhanni. Other teams were fighting for the wheels and Lotto Soudal came up to match Cofidis but the French team stayed in control, even if the speed was not very high.

As the final kilometre began, Bouhanni still had two teammates ahead of him and they timed their effort perfectly, with Bouhanni opening up his sprint just as other riders began to move up from behind.

When he upped his speed, he quickly distanced everyone, leaving the rest of the peloton to fight for the placing as he celebrated and happily pointed to his Cofidis logo.

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