Gaviria wins Paris-Tours with late attack
Colombian surprises the sprinters to beat Demare and Van Genechten
Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-QuickStep) won Paris-Tours with a surprise late attack in the final 500 metres that allowed him to hold off the big-name sprinters and take arguably the most prestigious victory of his young career without waiting for the sprint finish. His victory completed a perfect day for the Etixx-QuickStep team after their victory in the men's team time trial at the UCI Road World Championships.
"This is the most beautiful win of my career," he said. "I knew how important and big this race was; I know its history, and this motivated me to get the victory today. It was tough and fast today, but I was fresh in the finale, when I decided to take advantage of a corner which slowed down the peloton before the last straight."
As the riders jostled for position inside the final kilometre on the famous Avenue de Grammont, Gaviria jumped to his right away from the bunch and surged down the barriers. He quickly got a gap and kept going with his arms on the hoods, as if he was trying to take a lap on the track in an Omnium event.
He nervously looked back but had a sufficient lead that allowed him to ease up before the line, kiss his bracelet in a kind of dedication and celebrate victory with his arms open.
"As soon as I attacked, I went full gas to the line and managed to hold the pack at bay," he said. "I am very happy and I want to thank the team for the support I got. It was my final race of the year in this kit and this makes the success very special. Also, to get news that the team won the team time trial world title gives me even more satisfaction."
The Lotto Soudal and Katusha teams failed to close the gap and the other sprinters came too late to catch the Colombian. Arnaud Demare (FDJ) finished second with Jonas Van Genechten (IAM Cycling) third. They were caught in the photographs of Gaviria celebrating but were stunned by the 22-year-old Colombian's late move.
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was in the mix after using his sprint to move up in the final 300 metres but he then eased up before the line finishing sixth, one place ahead of Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis).
252km covered at 47km/h
Race organiser ASO had managed to attract a star-studded field in the last race for the sprinters and world championship contenders. They increased the distance of the 2016 race to 252km and removed many of the hills in the final 20 kilometres to make it the perfect test of form before riders travelled to Doha for next Sunday's World Championships road race.
Gaviria, Cavendish, Tom Boonen, Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett, Elia Viviani and Arnaud Démare were all on the start and keen to test their form only a week out from the big final goal of the season.
The weather was warm with a slight tailwind from the start in the Loire valley, making for a fast race and a 47km/h average race speed.
Seven riders bravely formed the early break, with Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin), Arnaud Gérard (Fortuneo Vital Concept), Floris Gerts (BMC), Pirmin Lang (IAM Cycling), Kevin Lebreton (Armée de Terre), Brian Van Goethem (Roompot-Orange) and Maarten Wynants (LottoNL-Jumbo) going deep one last time this season.
They opened a gap but the sprinter's team kept them pegged at three minutes indicating their intentions. They were eventually reeled in with 15km to race.
Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) was part of several late attacks as he tested his form after a long day in the saddle. But with a flatter finale, the sprinters were always going to dominate affairs and they did. Another attack by Sergey Lagutin (Katusha) and Bert De Backer (Giant-Alpecin) was caught with seven kilometres to go, as the Cofidis team for Bouhanni, FDJ for Démare and Team Sky for Viviani kept the pace high and marshalled the peloton.
After some late corners and the red kite, Team Sky hit out early, with debutant Owain Doull leading Viviani. However it was far too early for the Italian to open his sprint and so he sat up and the pack reshuffled. Just after, as the pace dipped, Gaviria took his chance, seemingly based on instinct rather than tactics.
Lesser riders would have quickly been swept up, but Gaviria has a track rider's acceleration and a sprinter's speed, allowing him to hold off the chasers.
He will lead the Colombian team next Sunday and has suddenly become a dangerous rival for the bigger nations and their team leaders.
"In Doha it's going to be a completely different story, and the race will be made even more difficult by the heat, but I'm going there confident, relaxed and in good condition," Gaviria said. "So we'll see what will happen."
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step | 5:22:03 |
2 | Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ | |
3 | Jonas Vangenechten (Bel) IAM Cycling | |
4 | Matteo Trentin (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
5 | Bryan Coquard (Fra) Direct Energie | |
6 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data | |
7 | Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
8 | Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
9 | Luka Mezgec (Slo) Orica-BikeExchange | |
10 | Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) BMC Racing Team | |
11 | Zico Waeytens (Bel) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
12 | Roy Jans (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
13 | Rudy Barbier (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | |
14 | Romain Feillu (Fra) HP-BTP Auber 93 | |
15 | Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Argon 18 | |
16 | Kristian Sbaragli (Ita) Dimension Data | |
17 | Jesper Asselman (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
18 | Fabian Lienhard (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
19 | Alexander Porsev (Rus) Team Katusha | |
20 | Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Team Katusha | |
21 | Tom Boonen (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
22 | Leonardo Fabio Duque (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
23 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky | |
24 | Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
25 | Oliver Naesen (Bel) IAM Cycling | |
26 | Amaury Capiot (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
27 | Raymond Kreder (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
28 | Danilo Napolitano (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
29 | Moreno Hofland (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
30 | Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
31 | Daniel Mclay (GBr) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | |
32 | Ruslan Tleubayev (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
33 | Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Orica-BikeExchange | |
34 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
35 | Twan Castelijns (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
36 | Etienne Van Empel (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
37 | Marco Haller (Aut) Team Katusha | |
38 | Maximiliano Ariel Richeze (Arg) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
39 | Floris Gerfs (Ned) BMC Racing Team | |
40 | Alo Jakin (Est) HP-BTP Auber 93 | |
41 | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
42 | Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
43 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Dimension Data | |
44 | Andrew Fenn (GBr) Team Sky | |
45 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Orica-BikeExchange | |
46 | Silvio Herklotz (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | |
47 | Jimmy Turgis (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | |
48 | Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ | |
49 | Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Astana Pro Team | |
50 | Max Walscheid (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
51 | Ryan Gibbons (RSA) Dimension Data | |
52 | Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
53 | Marc Sarreau (Fra) FDJ | |
54 | Alexis Bodiot (Fra) Armee de Terre | |
55 | Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) Armee de Terre | |
56 | Dennis Van Winden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
57 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
58 | Anthony Maldonado (Fra) HP-BTP Auber 93 | |
59 | Roger Kluge (Ger) IAM Cycling | |
60 | Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
61 | Pierre Gouault (Fra) HP-BTP Auber 93 | |
62 | Dries Van Gestel (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
63 | Etienne Fabre (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
64 | Jérôme Baugnies (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
65 | Rick Zabel (Ger) BMC Racing Team | |
66 | Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
67 | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
68 | Angelo Tulik (Fra) Direct Energie | |
69 | Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | |
70 | Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (Den) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
71 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
72 | Antoine Duchesne (Can) Direct Energie | |
73 | Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ | |
74 | Sam Oomen (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
75 | Florent Pereira (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | |
76 | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) HP-BTP Auber 93 | |
77 | Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
78 | Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
79 | Simon Pellaud (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
80 | Stefan Denifl (Aut) IAM Cycling | |
81 | Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
82 | Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) FDJ | |
83 | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Direct Energie | |
84 | Berden De Vries (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
85 | Frederik Veuchelen (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
86 | Sergey Lagutin (Rus) Team Katusha | |
87 | Felix Pouilly (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | |
88 | Adrien Petit (Fra) Direct Energie | |
89 | Robert Power (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange | |
90 | Franck Bonnamour (Fra) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | |
91 | Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
92 | Jeremy Leveau (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | 0:00:20 |
93 | Yann Guyot (Fra) Armee de Terre | |
94 | Nick Van Der Lijke (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | 0:00:22 |
95 | Tosh Van Der Sande (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
96 | Benoit Cosnefroy (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
97 | Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
98 | Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
99 | Martin Laas (Est) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
100 | Brian Van Goethem (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
101 | Bert De Backer (Bel) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
102 | Julien Duval (Fra) Armee de Terre | |
103 | Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team | |
104 | Loic Vliegen (Bel) BMC Racing Team | |
105 | Stéphane Rossetto (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
106 | Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
107 | William Bonnet (Fra) FDJ | |
108 | Matt Brammeier (Irl) Dimension Data | |
109 | Flavien Dassonville (Fra) HP-BTP Auber 93 | |
110 | Jimmy Raibaud (Fra) Armee de Terre | |
111 | François Bidard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
112 | Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:00:27 |
113 | Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
114 | Owain Doull (GBr) Team Sky | 0:00:33 |
115 | Boris Vallee (Bel) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | |
116 | Aimé Degendt (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | 0:00:38 |
117 | Michal Golas (Pol) Team Sky | 0:00:44 |
118 | Quentin Pacher (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | 0:00:50 |
119 | Quentin Jauregui (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
120 | Maxime Renault (Fra) HP-BTP Auber 93 | 0:00:54 |
121 | Elie Gesbert (Fra) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | 0:00:56 |
122 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | |
123 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
124 | Romain Combaud (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
125 | Thierry Hupond (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM | |
126 | Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team | |
127 | Nico Denz (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale | |
128 | Carlos Verona Quintanilla (Spa) Orica-BikeExchange | |
129 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
130 | Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) Dimension Data | |
131 | Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange | |
132 | Youcef Reguigui (Alg) Dimension Data | |
133 | Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
134 | Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ | |
135 | Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
136 | Sjoerd Van Ginneken (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
137 | Preben Van Hecke (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
138 | Albert Timmer (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
139 | Mark Mcnally (GBr) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
140 | Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky | |
141 | Tom Stamsnijder (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin | |
142 | Romain Guillemois (Fra) Direct Energie | |
143 | Julien Morice (Fra) Direct Energie | |
144 | Daniel Hoelgaard (Nor) FDJ | |
145 | Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
146 | Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Argon 18 | |
147 | Thomas Boudat (Fra) Direct Energie | 0:01:03 |
148 | Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
149 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Bora-Argon 18 | 0:01:38 |
150 | Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Soudal | 0:01:43 |
151 | Jelle Wallays (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
152 | Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky | |
153 | Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
154 | Christoph Pfingsten (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | |
155 | Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
156 | Anthony Turgis (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
157 | Vegard Breen (Nor) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | 0:01:47 |
158 | Florian Senechal (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | 0:01:50 |
159 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits | |
160 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | 0:01:54 |
161 | Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | 0:02:27 |
162 | Johann Van Zyl (RSA) Dimension Data | |
163 | Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | |
164 | Mitchell Docker (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange | 0:02:38 |
165 | Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fra) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | 0:02:45 |
166 | Lars Petter Nordhaug (Nor) Team Sky | 0:02:49 |
167 | Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Bora-Argon 18 | 0:03:00 |
168 | Pirmin Lang (Swi) IAM Cycling | |
169 | Jens Wallays (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Baloise | 0:04:37 |
170 | Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Fortuneo - Vital Concept | 0:05:30 |
171 | Warren Barguil (Fra) Team Giant-Alpecin | 0:05:44 |
172 | Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) IAM Cycling | 0:07:17 |
173 | Thomas Rostollan (Fra) Armee de Terre | 0:09:24 |
174 | Kevin Lebreton (Fra) Armee de Terre | |
175 | Nicolas Moncomble (Fra) Roubaix Metropole Europeenne De Lille | |
176 | Alexander Maes (Bel) Team Katusha | |
177 | Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Bora-Argon 18 | 0:09:27 |
178 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-BikeExchange | 0:10:03 |
DNF | Gianni Meersman (Bel) Etixx - Quick-Step | |
DNF | Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Astana Pro Team | |
DNF | Sébastien Turgot (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Maxim Belkov (Rus) Team Katusha | |
DNF | Vladimir Isaychev (Rus) Team Katusha | |
DNF | Dmitrii Kozonchuk (Rus) Team Katusha | |
DNF | Shane Archbold (NZl) Bora-Argon 18 | |
DNF | Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Roompot - Oranje Peloton | |
DNF | Thibault Ferasse (Fra) Armee de Terre |
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