Laporte wins Tro Bro Léon

Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) soloed to victory instead of gambling on his top end speed to claim his fourth victory of the season at the Tro Bro Leon. Winning the Breton event made it up for his lack of results at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix due to sickness after finishing a promising fourth in Gent-Wevelgem. The Frenchman fended off defending champion Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie) while Belgium's Jelle Mannaerts (Tarteletto-Isorex-SH) conquered a courageous third place in horrendous conditions.

"It's was a terribly hard race," said Laporte of the Hell of the North Finistère (one of the nicknames of the Breton version of Paris-Roubaix). "I felt weak at one stage but my condition bounced back. I preferred to be alone at the front and give everything because it was my only way of winning. Had I not attacked, another guy would have done it. It's an absolutely beautiful race and I'm delighted to win here. It's wonderful!"

The race was animated by three riders, Kevin De Jonghe (Tarteletto-Isorex-SH), Gianni Marchand and Dennis Coenen (Cibel-Cebon) who got nine minutes lead. With 60km to go, Stijn Vandenbergh (AG2R La Mondiale), Benjamin Thomas (Groupama-FDJ), Maxime Daniel (Fortuneo-Samsic) and Marc Fournier (Vital Concept) came across to them before Gaudin and Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie), Ole Forfang (Joker-Icopal) and Laporte reinforced the front group. Breton riders Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ), Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Laurent Pichon (Fortuneo-Samsic) waited for their time to reach the head of the race but it was a surprising latecomer who rode away from them on the hardest gravelled road made slippery by the occasional pouring rain.

Norwegian champion Rasmus Tiller (Joker-Icopal), who is a sprinter in the making, soloed with 24km to go. He looked to be on his way to winning before he crashed in a curve on a paved road with 9km to go and was caught by a chasing group. He eventually held on to take a worthy fifth place at the age of 21.

Laporte decided to go by himself as there were 6km remaining. Gaudin, who was dropped from the front group on two occasions went after him but it was too late.

"I also had a moment of weakness like Laporte with 30km to go," the Direct Energie rider said. "When I attacked behind him, I believed in my chances of winning until 50 metres to go."

"It's extraordinary for me to finish third here, I'm very happy," echoed Mannaerts who was already an attacker in the Tour du Finistère the previous day. "It's the best result I could get. I'm on a continental team. To win the sprint of my group is very big for me, considering the level of the riders who were with me. I didn't know I could be this good."

"Paris-Roubaix was a very important race for me and I was determined to make it up before the post-classics break," Laporte said. "I had rage today. I love this race. It's not part of the WorldTour but it's just as hard all the way. It concludes my first part of the season on a high note with a fourth victory [after stages at the Etoile de Bessèges and the Tour La Provence]."

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