Dion opens the Breton campaign
First win for Bretagne-Schuller in home region
Renaud Dion of the newly promoted Pro Continental team Bretagne-Schuller won the first pro race of the year held in Brittany, the home soil of the team he joined after spending one year with Roubaix-Lille Métropole. The 33-year-old Frenchman attacked his six breakaway companions in the closing kilometres and held off the pursuit of FDJ's Gianni Meersman, who finished second, and Nicolas Vogondy from Cofidis who was third.
"This win gives me great pleasure," were Dion's first words after crossing the line. "My experience made the difference when it came to the last lap. I knew it would have been a mistake to wait for the sprint."
Bretagne-Schuller's directeur sportif Emmanuel Hubert had warned him that the man to watch was French time trial champion Vogondy but he also had to be careful of Meersman who likes the kind of slightly uphill finale of the circuit in front of the castle of Vitré. Former Caisse d'Epargne rider Mathieu Drujon, now with BigMat-Auber 93, was probably the fastest of the front group but he opted to attack before Dion who found the right timing with 2km to go.
Drujon was already a member of the previous breakaway group with Armindo Fonseca (Bretagne-Schuller), Lloyd Mondory (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Guillaume Levarlet (Saur-Sojasun), Damien Monier (Cofidis), Javier Megias (Team Type 1), Cédric Pineau (FDJ) and Giovanni Bernaudeau (Europcar).
With four laps and one hour of racing to go, a new front group was formed by Vogondy, Meersman, Drujon, Dion, Steven Tronet (Roubaix-Lille-Métropole), Jean-Marc Marino, Levarlet and Fabrice Jeandesbosz (Saur-Sojasun). As their respective teams Europcar and Team Type 1 had missed the move, two riders tried to bridge the gap, but Yukiya Arashiro (Europcar) and Alexander Efimkin (Team Type 1) stayed 20 seconds behind before getting caught with 5km to go.
Dion's win came as a relief for Bretagne-Schuller. The Pro Continental team from Brittany had encountered very competitive cycling at Paris-Nice. Some observers wondered if they really had the required level for a World Tour event. "Our team didn't have a super start of the season," Dion said. "But we also wanted to prove the critics wrong. I went out of Paris-Nice in a pretty good shape, then I went to Corsica with my family before the Criterium International where I escaped twice. From the end of March till the end of May, it's usually my time of being in form and it coincides with the races in Brittany. But I was scared to come second once again."
Last year Dion was second at the Tour de Bretagne, the Classic Loire-Atlantique, Plumelec and the Tro Bro Leon. Previously he won Le Samyn with Ag2r-La Mondiale. "It was a similar race as today," he said. "I had to escape from the front group because of the presence of fast finishers like Philippe Gilbert and Matti Breschel. I've had some difficulties to find a team after Ag2r, but the Breton project is very appealing. This is a good start."
The "Bretagne" region is historically the hot bed of French cycling and the home of former greats Jean Robic, Louison Bobet and Bernard Hinault. Local authorities have the ambition to revive the cycling culture with giving a regional identity to a team like Euskaltel has done in the Basque country. They envisage to ride the Tour de France in 2012 after getting a taste of it at Paris-Nice.
1 | Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | 4:47:15 |
2 | Gianni Meersman (Bel) FDJ | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Steven Tronet (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | 0:00:03 |
4 | Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | 0:00:05 |
5 | Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | 0:00:22 |
8 | Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Rabobank Continental Team | 0:01:12 |
9 | Laurent Pichon (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Tony Gallopin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Arnaud Molmy (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Jean-Luc Delpech (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Laurent Beuret (Swi) Atlas Personal | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Fabricio Ferrari (Uru) Caja Rural | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Colombia Es Pasion - Cafe De Colombia | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Toms Skujinš (Lat) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Laszlo Bodrogi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Johan Esteban Chaves Rubio (Col) Colombia Es Pasion - Cafe De Colombia | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Marc Goos (Ned) Rabobank Continental Team | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Yohan Cauquil (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Ludovic Turpin (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Juan Villegas (Col) Colombia Es Pasion - Cafe De Colombia | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Julien Guay (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Bruno Langlois (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Ruben Martinez (Spa) Caja Rural | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Daan Olivier (Ned) Rabobank Continental Team | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Guillaume Pont (Fra) SP Tableware | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Florian Vachon (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Matthieu Boulo (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Alexander Efimkin (Rus) Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Julien El Fares (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Peter Kusztor (Hun) Atlas Personal | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Arnaud Gerard (Fra) FDJ | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Maxime Mederel (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Johan Mombaerts (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Romain Hardy (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Ruben Reig Conejero (Spa) Caja Rural | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Jean-Marc Bideau (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Julien Loubet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Sébastien Duret (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Jahir Perez (Col) Colombia Es Pasion - Cafe De Colombia | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Nicolas Bazin (Fra) Big Mat - Auber 93 | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Luis Felipe Laverde Jimenez (Col) Colombia Es Pasion - Cafe De Colombia | 0:01:24 |
51 | Javier Megias Leal (Spa) Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Will Routley (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar | 0:01:30 |
54 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | 0:01:34 |
55 | Cyril Bessy (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:01:36 |
58 | Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Jonas Ljungblad (Swe) Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de | 0:01:41 |
60 | Mark O'Brien (Aus) SP Tableware | 0:01:50 |
61 | Francois Parisien (Can) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | 0:04:39 |
62 | Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Damien Monier (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Florian Salzinger (Ger) Atlas Personal | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ | 0:06:20 |
66 | Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Oleg Chuzhda (Ukr) Caja Rural | 0:07:03 |
68 | Lucas Euser (USA) Team Spidertech Powered By C10 | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Frank Dressler-Lehnhof (Ger) Team Differdange - Magic-Sportfood.de | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Christoph Springer (Ger) SP Tableware | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Fabio Calabria (Aus) Team Type 1 - Sanofi Aventis | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Florian Le Corre (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Georgios Karatzios (Gre) SP Tableware | 0:07:06 |
74 | Christophe Kern (Fra) Team Europcar | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Alexander Riabkin (Rus) Caja Rural | 0:07:10 |
76 | Sébastien Joly (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | 0:07:12 |
77 | Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Velo-Club La Pomme Marseille | 0:11:28 |
78 | Pirmin Lang (Swi) Atlas Personal | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Taco van der Hoorn inks two-year extension with Intermarché-Wanty
Dutch rider back to health after severe concussion layoff -
Lauren De Crescenzo: Team Amani women gravel riders 'redefine what’s possible' in Africa
Lauren De Crescenzo shares photos and lessons shared and learned after spending 12 days with Black Mamba Development women -
Tadej Pogačar's training: What sessions does the three-time Tour de France champion do?
Calculating the world champion's training zones -
'I've reached another level' - Adam Yates eyes Giro d'Italia GC fight in 2025
UAE Team Emirates leader to return to Italian Grand Tour after eight-year absence