Ligthart wins Grand Prix La Marseillaise
By Cycling News
Dutchman beats Vanbilsen into second place
Pim Ligthart (Lotto Soudal) claimed victory at the Grand Prix La Marseillaise with a well-timed sprint that saw him finish ahead of last year’s winner Kennerth Vanbilsen (Cofidis) and Antoine Demoitié (Wallonie-Bruxelles).
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ.fr) and Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) were among the starters for the traditional curtain-raiser to the French season, which took the peloton on a 140-kilometre loop around the hinterland of Marseille, with five categorised climbs on the agenda.
"The season couldn't have started better. I trained hard this winter and it's fantastic I immediately benefit from it," Ligthart said.
The early break was formed by Conor Dunne (An Post-Chainreaction), Steven Tronet (Auber 93), Frederik Veuchelen (Wanty-Groupe Gobert), Thomas Vaubourzeix (Veranclassic-Ekoi) and Julien Duval (Armée de Terre), and they were later joined by Eoin McCarthy (An Post-Chainreaction).
Their lead touched nine minutes with 100 kilometres remaining but began to melt away thereafter as Bretagne-Séché took up the reins of the pursuit in a bid to set up Romain Feillu for the win, and the leaders were caught inside the final 20 kilometres.
Carlos Quintero (Colombia) tried his luck on the day’s final climb, the Col de la Gineste, and he was later joined a by small group that included Davide Rebellin (CCC-Polsat) but they too were swept up on the run-in to the finish.
In the ensuing sprint in the shadow of the Stade Vélodrome, home of Olympique de Marseille, it was Ligthart who emerged to take his first win since a stage of the Ster ZLM Toer in 2013.
"Our team was relaxed in the bunch and I could save my strengths. Cofidis led the chase and the escapees got caught. I was well positioned and started the sprint," Ligthart said. "I looked next to me a few times and didn't see anyone passing by, so I started to believe in it. It's really nice to win this way."
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Pim Ligthart (Ned) Lotto Soudal | 3:39:33 |
2 | Kenneth Van Bilsen (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
3 | Antoine Demoitie (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
4 | Baptiste Planckaert (Bel) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
5 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
6 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
7 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
8 | Maxime Renault (Fra) Auber 93 | |
9 | Benjamin Giraud (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
10 | Amets Txurruka (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
11 | Maxime Vantomme (Bel) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
12 | Anthony Maldonado (Fra) Auber 93 | |
13 | Simone Antonini (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
14 | Edwin Alcibiades Avila Vanegas (Col) Team Colombia | |
15 | Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
16 | Pello Bilbao Lopez De Armentia (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
17 | Tomasz Kiendys (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
18 | Carlos Barbero Cuesta (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
19 | Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
20 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
21 | Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
22 | Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
23 | Walter Fernando Pedraza Morales (Col) Team Colombia | |
24 | Kévin Reza (Fra) FDJ | |
25 | Xandro Meurisse (Bel) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
26 | Julien El Fares (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
27 | Kevin Ista (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
28 | Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
29 | Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
30 | Romain Combaud (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
31 | Quentin Pacher (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
32 | Yann Guyot (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
33 | Jimmy Turgis (Fra) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
34 | Fernando Grijalba (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
35 | Yoann Paillot (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
36 | Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
37 | Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
38 | Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
39 | Kenny Elissonde (Fra) FDJ | |
40 | Conor Dunne (Irl) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
41 | Julien Loubet (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
42 | Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
43 | Tom Dernies (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
44 | Björn Leukemans (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
45 | Alo Jakin (Est) Auber 93 | |
46 | Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
47 | Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
48 | Adrian Honkisz (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
49 | Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
50 | Julien Guay (Fra) Auber 93 | |
51 | Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ | |
52 | Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar | |
53 | Kevin Ledanois (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
54 | Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
55 | Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar | |
56 | Brayan Ramirez (Col) Team Colombia | |
57 | Steven Tronet (Fra) Auber 93 | |
58 | Pierre-Roger Latour (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
59 | Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar | |
60 | Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
61 | Olivier Chevalier (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
62 | Maxime Monfort (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
63 | Carlos Quintero (Col) Team Colombia | |
64 | Gert Jõeäär (Est) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
65 | Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
66 | Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
67 | Pieter Jacobs (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
68 | Floris De Tier (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
69 | Flavien Dassonville (Fra) Auber 93 | |
70 | Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ | |
71 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal | |
72 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
73 | Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ | |
74 | Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
75 | Jerome Cousin (Fra) Team Europcar | |
76 | Théo Vimpere (Fra) Auber 93 | |
77 | Boris Dron (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
78 | Vegard Breen (Nor) Lotto Soudal | |
79 | Clement Saint Martin (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
80 | Romain Guillemois (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:00:24 |
81 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | 0:00:56 |
82 | Fabricio Ferrari Barcelo (Uru) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | 0:01:21 |
83 | Jimmy Raibaud (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | 0:01:23 |
84 | Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Team Marseille 13 KTM | 0:02:37 |
85 | Omar Fraile (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | 0:04:33 |
86 | Leonardo Fabio Duque (Col) Team Colombia | 0:05:33 |
87 | Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ | |
88 | Antoine Warnier (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
89 | Nikolay Mihaylov (Bul) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
90 | Paulius Siskevicius (Ltu) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
91 | Serge Dewortelaer (Bel) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
92 | Matthieu Boulo (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
93 | Yoann Barbas (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
94 | Julien Duval (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
95 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
96 | Carlos Mario Ramirez Botero (Col) Team Colombia | |
97 | Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
98 | Hugo Houle (Can) AG2R La Mondiale | |
99 | Angel Madrazo Ruiz (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
100 | Romain Feillu (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | 0:11:53 |
101 | Jorge Camilo Castiblanco Cubides (Col) Team Colombia | |
102 | Branislau Samoilau (Blr) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
103 | Rudy Barbier (Fra) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
104 | Benoît Sinner (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
105 | Sebastián Molano (Col) Team Colombia | |
106 | Jens Vandenbogaerde (Bel) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
107 | Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
108 | Ryan Mullen (Irl) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
109 | Jerome Mainard (Fra) Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre | |
110 | Maxime Daniel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
111 | Alexandre Blain (Fra) Team Marseille 13 KTM | |
112 | Pierre Gouault (Fra) Auber 93 | |
113 | Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
114 | Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
115 | Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ | |
116 | Mateusz Taciak (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
117 | Alistair Slater (GBr) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
118 | Anthony Turgis (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
119 | Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ | |
120 | Oliver Naesen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
121 | Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
122 | Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
123 | Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
124 | Miguel Angel Benito (Esp) Caja Rural - Seguros RGA | |
125 | Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Bretagne - Séché Environnement | |
DNF | Francesco Van Coppernolle (Bel) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
DNF | Gorik Gardeyn (Bel) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
DNF | Michael Van Staeyen (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Crédits | |
DNF | Alexander Maes (Can) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
DNF | Eoin McCarthy (Fra) An Post - Chain Reaction | |
DNF | Roy Jans (Fra) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
DNF | Thomas Wertz (Bel) Wallonie - Bruxelles | |
DNF | Marek Rutkiewicz (Bel) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
DNF | Alexis Gougeard (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar | |
DNF | Robin Stenuit (Bel) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
DNF | Timothy Dupont (Bel) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
DNF | Edwig Cammaerts (Bel) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
DNF | Romain Pillon (Bel) Roubaix Lille Métropole | |
DNF | Antoine Duchesne (Irl) Team Europcar | |
DNF | Stefan Schumacher (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | |
DNF | Sébastien Rosseler (Ger) Veranclassic - Ekoi | |
DNF | Justin Jules (Bel) Veranclassic - Ekoi |
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