Wesley Kreder earns pro contract with Vendée win
Hivert and Hinault round out top three
It’s pretty unusual when a stagiaire wins a race for a WorldTour team. Wesley Kreder did it for Vacansoleil-DCM at the Tour de Vendée at the age of 21 and subsequently got the call for turning pro with the Dutch team.
He outclassed Thomas Voeckler on the Frenchman’s home soil and claimed a brilliant solo victory built in the last five kilometers after going clear with the King of the Mountains of the Tour de France.
“I came here as a stagiaire [trainee]”, he said.
“Normally it was for Marco Marcato to win today.”
But defending champion of the Tour de Vendée was a marked man after winning Paris-Tours one week ago but he also had a mechanical.
“We have controlled the rhythm of the bunch when Wesley went solo”, Marcato told Cyclingnews.
“I had a mechanical problem with my brakes when Voeckler attacked. I got scared that I wouldn’t make it back to the group but I did. I’m quite happy with the outcome because it’s been a great team work.”
The Tour de Vendée was shortened to 172 kilometres due to floods following an extremely rainy night. A leading trio formed when Julien Antomarchi (Team Type 1), Thomas Vaubourzeix (La Pomme-Marseille) and Julien Duval (Véranda Rideau) attacked.
They were caught by a very reduced peloton at km 129 after which Kreder was already in a counter-attacking group with the likes of Anthony Charteau (Europcar), Laurent Pichon (Bretagne-Schuller), Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) and Marcato.
Once they reached the finishing circuit of La Roche-sur-Yon, another leading group took over with Voeckler, Kreder, Pichon and Jonathan Hivert (Saur-Sojasun) but the lack of cooperation from the latter put an end to their initiative.
However, Kreder took his chance before getting caught and that was the right thing to do.
“Only in the last kilometer, I got the feeling that I could win this race”, Kreder told Cyclingnews.
“But the last half kilometer was very, very long! Once, I looked behind me to see where the chasers were. It’s an enormous joy to win.” A few minutes after his victory, the former rider from Rabobank Continental team got a phone call from team manager Daan Luijckx who announced to him that he earned his neo-pro contract for the next two years with Vacansoleil-DCM. Then it was up to his cousin Michel to ring to congratulate him. “I’ve always looked at my cousins Michel and Raymond who ride for Garmin-Sharp”, he said. “I’m delighted to ride in the pro peloton with them next year.”
Vacansoleil-DCM directeur sportif Bob De Cnodder was fully aware of Kreder’s abilities as he already had him in his junior team of Vorselaar-DCM. “Wesley’s development has always been steady”, he told Cyclingnews.
“He’s very strong but he also has the proper behavior to perform on a bike. His cousins are faster finishers than him but generally speaking, he’s stronger than them. He’s got a good future.”
The Dutch team won the Tour de Vendée for the second time consecutively with an unexpected rider. Frenchmen got beaten at home for the tenth consecutive time since Franck Bouyer won this race for Bonjour in 2002. It was the final of the French cup but there was no suspense as Dumoulin had already secured the individual victory and Bretagne-Schuller the team’s ranking.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Wesley Kreder (Ned) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | 4:13:08 |
2 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | 0:00:02 |
3 | Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
4 | Armindo Fonseca (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
5 | Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
6 | Laurent Pichon (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
7 | Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
8 | Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | |
9 | Eliot Lietaer (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
10 | Said Haddou (Fra) Team Europcar | |
11 | Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
12 | Marcello Pavarin (Ita) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | |
13 | Arnaud Gérard (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
14 | Julien Bérard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
15 | Bryan Nauleau (Fra) Team Europcar | |
16 | Ricardo Garcia Ambroa (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
17 | Lazlo Bodrogi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | |
18 | Romain Sicard (Fra) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
19 | Romain Matheou (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
20 | Sébastien Turgot (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:00:13 |
21 | Christophe Laborie (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | 0:00:21 |
22 | Alessandro Bazzana (Ita) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 0:00:31 |
23 | Angelo Tulik (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:00:33 |
24 | Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:00:53 |
25 | Jarl Salomein (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | 0:01:08 |
26 | Davy Commeyne (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
27 | Arthur Van Overberghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
28 | Renaud Dion (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
29 | Grégoire Tarride (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | |
30 | Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | |
31 | Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
32 | Loic Desriac (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | 0:01:18 |
33 | Steven Van Vooren (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | 0:01:21 |
34 | Diego Caccia (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | 0:01:26 |
35 | Adrián Sáez De Arregi (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 0:01:52 |
36 | Dirk Bellemakers (Ned) Landbouwkrediet | 0:01:57 |
37 | Arnaud Labbe (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
38 | David Lozano Riba (Spa) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | |
39 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | |
40 | Kevin De Jonghe (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
41 | Peeters Kevin (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
42 | Martijn Verschoor (Ned) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | |
43 | Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Auber 93 | |
44 | David Le Lay (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
45 | Johan Mombaerts (Fra) Auber 93 | |
46 | Gaël Malacarne (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
47 | Yannick Talabardon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
48 | Jasper Hamelink (Ned) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | |
49 | Zico Waeytens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
50 | Tristan Valentin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
51 | Maxime Mederel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
52 | Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
53 | Rudy Molard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
54 | Romain Bacon (Fra) Auber 93 | |
55 | Nicolas Rousseau (Fra) Auber 93 | |
56 | Steven Tronet (Fra) Auber 93 | |
57 | Mathieu Teychenne (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
58 | Jean-Luc Delpech (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
59 | Anthony Charteau (Fra) Team Europcar | 0:02:14 |
60 | Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:04:26 |
61 | Yoann Paillot (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 0:04:45 |
62 | Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:06:31 |
63 | Benjamin Giraud (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | |
64 | Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
65 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | |
66 | Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
67 | Maxime Le Montagner (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
68 | Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
69 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 0:10:30 |
DNF | Stijn Devolder (Bel) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | |
DNF | Jacek Morajko (Pol) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | |
DNF | Martin Mortensen (Den) Vacansoleil-Dcm Pro Cycling Team | |
DNF | Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
DNF | Mikel Astarloza Charreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | |
DNF | Jimmy Raibaud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
DNF | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Thomas Bertolini (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Stefano Borchi (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Elia Favilli (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Cristiano Monguzzi (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Umberto Nardecchia (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Davide Ricci Bitti (Ita) Farnese Vini - Selle Italia | |
DNF | Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Team Europcar | |
DNF | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Team Europcar | |
DNF | Sébastien Bergeret (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
DNF | Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
DNF | Mickaël Delage (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
DNF | Arnaud Courteille (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
DNF | Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat | |
DNF | Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
DNF | Damien Monier (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne | |
DNF | Jean-Lou Paiani (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
DNF | Paul Poux (Fra) Saur - Sojasun | |
DNF | Sébastien Duret (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
DNF | Florian Guillou (Fra) Bretagne - Schuller | |
DNF | Joeri Bueken (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
DNF | Sébastien Delfosse (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
DNF | Gilles Devillers (Bel) Landbouwkrediet | |
DNF | Egidijus Juodvalkis (Ltu) Landbouwkrediet | |
DNF | Reiner Honig (Ned) Landbouwkrediet | |
DNF | Tim Mertens (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
DNF | Sander Armee (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator | |
DNF | Gaylord Cumont (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
DNF | Kévin Denis (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
DNF | Guillaume Malle (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
DNF | Franck Vermeulen (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | |
DNF | Fabien Bacquet (Fra) Auber 93 | |
DNF | Guillaume Faucon (Fra) Auber 93 | |
DNF | Anthony Colin (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Pierre Drancourt (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Denis Flahaut (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Julien Guay (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Rudy Kowalksi (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Kevin Lalouette (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Boris Zimine (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | |
DNF | Yohan Cauquil (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | |
DNF | Clément Koretzky (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | |
DNF | Yannick Martinez (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | |
DNF | Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) La Pomme Marseille |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 4 | pts |
2 | Rudy Kowalksi (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | 2 | |
3 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 4 | pts |
2 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 2 | |
3 | Rudy Kowalksi (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 4 | pts |
2 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 2 | |
3 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 4 | pts |
2 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 2 | |
3 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 4 | pts |
2 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 2 | |
3 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 4 | pts |
2 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 2 | |
3 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Anthony Charteau (Fra) Team Europcar | 4 | pts |
2 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 2 | |
3 | Adrián Sáez De Arregi (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julien Antomarchi (Fra) Team Type 1 - Sanofi | 24 | pts |
2 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U | 11 | |
3 | Thomas Vaubourzeix (Fra) La Pomme Marseille | 6 | |
4 | Anthony Charteau (Fra) Team Europcar | 4 | |
5 | Adrián Sáez De Arregi (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team |
---|---|
1 | Julien Duval (Fra) Veranda Rideau - Super U |

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