Milan Fretin (Cofidis) swept previous Paul Hennequin (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur) within the remaining 25 metres and gained the opening stage of 4 Jours de Dunkerque. Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) settled for third place within the bunch dash within the seaside city of Le Touquet.
Hennequin accelerated from the strung-out peloton with one kilometre to go and seemed to have a successful transfer by means of the sweeping left-hand nook and 400 metres to the end. But on the lengthy, flat drag to the road, the 23-year-old Cofidis rider burst from the bunch and blew previous Hennequin for his first victory of the 12 months.
Arkéa-B&B Hotels’ Amaury Capiot completed fourth and Milan Menten of Lotto Dstny fifth, a disappointing finish to lengthy wet day the place the squads had labored with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to close down a protracted breakaway.
Departing from a wet Dunkerque, the peloton travelled south for 173km to Le Touquet, with the center part of the route passing by means of the inland rolling hills throughout the Caps et Marais d’’Opale regional park. All 4 categorised climbs have been centralised on this space, from the early Le Ventus d’Alembon (1.4km at 5.2%) after 51km, to a trio of climbs inside 10km of one another, starting at 100.5km to go, all three 2km or shorter and the common gradients not more than 3% common.
With 5 of the six levels catering to sprinters, the bonus factors on provide on the end and at three intermediate sprints have been the main focus – Licques after 45.2km or racing, Zotaux on the 92.3kilometre mark and Frencq at kilometre 126.7. The end supplied 15 factors to the winner.
Just earlier than the primary intermediate dash in Licques, Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel-Roubaix) and Antoine Hue (CIC U Nantes Atlantique) jumped to the entrance of the race. Across the primary KOM, they have been joined by Dean Harvey (Trinity Racing), Gwen Leclainche (Philippe Wagner-Bazin) and Joris Delbove (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93).
The quintet powered alongside to the mid-point of the race with a 2:35 benefit headed to the collection of three small categorized climbs. Leclainche set the tempo out entrance because the rain continued, the hole to the peloton starting to scrub away, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and Soudal-FastStep on the entrance.
On one of many quick descents, Hue carried an excessive amount of pace on a sweeping left-hand flip and skidded onto off the pavement. He was shortly again up and rejoined the breakaway with the categorised climbs left behind and the ultimate intermediate dash to Frencq nonetheless 19km forward.
The breakaway was in sight of an Arkéa-B&B Hotels-led peloton on the method to Frencq and nonetheless 10km to the flat end circuits, the 5 riders dangling on the entrance by simply 15 seconds. Jarnet took the three bonus seconds in Frencq for a complete of seven on the day.
On the primary go of the end line, with 32km to go throughout three extra circuits, Delbove and Hue have been not within the breakaway and left the trio of Jarnet, Harvey and Leclainche to carry off the dash groups for a bit longer, now 20 seconds away. Harvey lasted simply two extra kilometres and dropped again to the peloton.
With 16km to go, the breakaway was absorbed again into the peloton for the final lap and a half. As the bell rang for the ultimate 10.4km, Israel-Premier Tech and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale charging to the entrance alongside the beachfront of the Atlantic coast, Lotto Dstny additionally making a transfer to arrange the full of life dash end, taken by the Cofidis crew which solely confirmed its colors when it counted most.
Results
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