Route du Sud: Coquard wins opening stage

Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie) continued his rich vein of form on French soil this season with an utterly convincing victory on the opening stage of the Route du Sud.

The 24-year-old’s nine stage wins this term – along with two general classification triumphs – have all come in races in his native France, and he had no trouble seeing off Milan-San Remo winner Arnaud Demare (FDJ) to make it 10.

Though a breakaway, including none other than Nairo Quintana, did enjoy a substantial lead on the road from Courniou to Bessières, Coquard’s Direct Energie team encountered no real problems in bringing things back in the flat second half of the stage. They and FDJ were the prominent forces as the race entered the final kilometres and the two French teams were side-by-side, two men apiece heading under the flame rouge.

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There was a 90-degree right-hand bend leading onto a bridge over the river Tarn in the final few hundered metres, and Coquard came through it perfectly before springing clear to win be some distance. Though given the same time, Demare was a distant second, and Jose Joaquin Rojas some way behind him in third.

With the help of bonus seconds, Coquard now leads the general classification by four seconds over Demare, though it’s not Rojas in third, but rather his teammate and race favourite Quintana.

Quintana, one of the leading favourites for the Tour de France, hasn’t raced since winning the Tour de Romandie in late April, and was keen to kick his legs back into action here by making a rare foray into the breakaway. He went early and was joined by Quentin Jauregui (AG2R-La Mondiale) for a long break during which he was able to mop up five bonus seconds via the two intermediate sprints.

Though the duo once had nearly 12 minutes over the bunch, they never seriously entertained ambitions for the stage win. Direct Energie and FDJ were able to control proceedings, though there was no contest in the final couple of hundred metres.

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