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BPCE-Natixis - Restoring National Pride. Vive Le France!
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 03-08-2017 17:54
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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 La Méditerranéenne (2.1)
Stage 4/4, 176.9 km Pre-Race Meeting:
Today was the Queen Stage of La Méditerranéenne 2017, with no less than 8 (EIGHT) Category 1 climbs! So many climbs would normally put off a lot of riders from a long all day break away, but with so many strong climbers in this race, and wiyh this being our final chance to accomplish our sponsors goal of a stage win in La Méditerranéenne 2017 – expect to see a BPCE-Natixis rider attack early in this one.
--Race Review --
As planned we got a rider into the days early breakaway, which included a surprising number of riders willing to ride in the lead on such a tough stage. Julien El-Flares was our man in the break, and we were hoping he could continue his early season form, but he was joined by a number of strong climbers in the 9 man break. With so many KOM points on offer with eight Category 1 climbs meant that the Mountain Jersey winner would likely come from this group. El-Flares was 3rd over the first climb, as Jonathan Hivert (Fortuneo-Vital) proved too strong and took maximum points. El-Flares was then 4th and 2nd over the next two climbs, before disaster struck.
On the fourth climb of the day Hivert launched an attack that El-Flares wass unable to respond to, whittling the break down to four men and leaving our hopes of a breakaway win in tatters. The four men stayed away until the base of the penultimate climb, with Hivert accumulating 96 points which would be more than enough to secure the Mountains jersey for this year.
Back in the peleton we were well positioned. Anthony Delaplace had been protected all day by Aurelian Passerson, and still had Sylvain Georges and Guillaume Levarlet left with him for the last two climbs. Georges managed to do a great job and get Delaplace over the penultimate climb, leaving Levarlet just the final climb. Still in contact with the favourites, we looked on for a good result. Mikel Nieve (Team Sky) was the man who launched first on the final climb, and attack that only Giovanni Visconti (Movistar) could follow. These were the two who battled out the stage, with Visconti finishing the stronger to complete a Movistar hat-trick for the final three stages of the race. Delaplace left an exhausted Levarlet behind in the final stages to finish in a small group with Jerome Coppel (Cofidis) and Dayer Quintana (Movistar) 24 seconds behind Visconti to finish a very creditable 11th place on the stage!
Tom Slagter celebrates his overall victory.
La Méditerranéenne
Race Results | 1. G. Visconti | Movistar | 4h15'15'' | | 2. M. Nieve | Team Sky | s.t. | | 3. L. Nordhug | Team Sky | +8' | | 4. A. Jeannesson | Cofidis | s.t. | | 5. V. Kiryienka | Team Sky | s.t. |
Spoiler | 11. A. Delaplace | BPCE-Natixis | +24' | | 30. G. Levarlet | BPCE-Natixis | +59' | | 46. S. Georges | BPCE-Natixis | +1'27 | | 54. Y. Martinez | BPCE-Natixis | +2'17 | | 66. J. El Flares | BPCE-Natixis | +5'03 | | 69. R. Bacon | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 93. A. Passerson | BPCE-Natixis | +5'43 | | 126. R. Bouhanni | BPCE-Natixis | +8'57 |
La Méditerranéenne
 General Classification La Méditerranéenne
 Points Classification Spoiler 1. G. Visconti  | Movistar | 39 pts | | 2. T. Slagter | Cannondale | 33 pts | | 3. J. Herreda | Movistar | 25 pts | | 4. J. Rojas | Movistar | 25 pts | | 5. A. Vichot | FDJ | 20 pts |
La Méditerranéenne
 Mountains Classification Spoiler | 1. M. Renault | HP BTP-AUBER93 | 96 pts | | 2. A. Vichot | FDJ | 88 pts | | 3. A. Jeannesson | Cofidis | 88 pts | | 4. J. Hivert | Fortuneo-Vital | 84 pts | | 5. L. Nordhung | Team Sky | 74 pts |
La Méditerranéenne
 Young Riders Classification Spoiler | 1. J. Dombrowski | Cannondale | 12hr50'35'' | | 2. M. Mamykin | Team Katusha | +4' | | 3. S. Kung | BMC Racing | +9' | | 4. D. Quintana | Movistar | +25' | | 5. M. Kudus | Dimension Data | +1'01 |
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| Shonak |
Posted on 03-08-2017 18:30
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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Too bad, the team tried really hard to get something out of it but competition just too tough here. Surely guys are burning already to prove themselves at the next sponsor goal 
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 06:16
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 03-08-2017 18:44
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
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Shonak wrote:
Too bad, the team tried really hard to get something out of it but competition just too tough here. Surely guys are burning already to prove themselves at the next sponsor goal
For sure they will be fired up! They don't have long to wait for the next sponsor goal, with the Tour du Haut Var Matin starting in less than a week! The sponsors want a Top 5 finish, so the guys will have to ride hard!
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 03-08-2017 21:47
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
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Taken from BPCE-NatixisCycling.com
Race Preview
 Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia (2.1)
17/02 – 22/02  C. Froome | A. Valverde |  R. Porte | R. Bardet |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
BPCE-Natixis Line Up Team Leader
R. Sicard
Free Elements
J. Gadret T. Damuseau
Domestiques
R. Di Gregorio D. Monier D. Gaudu
M. Le Turnier Notes from the Directeur Sportif: The Vuelta a Andalucia sees a number of our riders making their debuts for Team BPCE-Natixis. We will be sending a strong team, with team leader Romain Sicard joined by chief lieutenant John Gadret as they begin their preparation for Paris-Nice. While this is more of a warm up race than a main goal, we will still be looking for Romain Sicard to place well on GC despite a strong field. I will be joining the team for the first three stages here in Spain before heading back to France for the start of the Tour du Haut Var Matin, which our sponsors have picked out as an objective for this season! During my time in Spain I will be paying particular interest to the performances of young talents Thomas Damuseau and David Gaudu, who I believe have huge futures in the sport!
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 03-08-2017 22:22
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Good Luck in Spain !!!! |
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 07-08-2017 18:54
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Thanks sutty! We're taking a strong team, so we're hoping to do well! 
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 07-08-2017 19:01
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Stage Report - Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia - Stage 1
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia (2.1)
Stage 1/6, 118.2 km Pre-Race Meeting:
The Ruta Del Sol begins this year with a flat stage, perfect for the sprinters. Unfortunately the team we had decided to bring to the race was more suited to the mountain stages in the second half of the race. As this was the entire teams first days racing of the season we decided to refrain from any attacks and let the guys have an easy ride to get the cobwebs out of their legs ready for tomorrows time trial.
--Race Review --
A typical sprinters stage. An early break went out with 7 men dreaming of an unlikely stage victory. The sprinters team kept them on a string, and managed to pull the break in just as the race passed over the only categorised climb of the day. As the race approached the finish, the Orica-Bike Exchange train took control of the peleton to try and set the race up for their sprinter Michael Matthews.
When the sprint launched, it looked to be between three men: Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis), Michael Matthews (Orica-Bike Exchange) and Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie). Matthews launched well from his train, but it quickly became apparent that he didn't have the legs today. Coquard battled hard, but Bouhanni proved far to strong for everyone else as he tore away from the field to win by a bike length. A strong finish from Ben Swift (Team Sky) saw him pip Coquard for second on the line from nowhere, while Matthews rolled in a disappointing fourth. All of our guys rolled in safely with the peleton on the same time as the winners.
Nacer Bouhanni sprints to victory
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Race Results | 1. N. Bouhanni | Cofidis | 2h22'54'' | | 2. B. Swift | Team Sky | s.t. | | 3. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | s.t. | | 4. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | s.t. | | 5. J. Stuyven | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. |
Spoiler | 113. D. Monier | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 122. J. Gadret | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 128. R. Sicard | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 141. T. Demuseau | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 147 R. Di Gregorio | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 148. D. Gaudu | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 149. M. Le Turnier | BPCE-Natixis | s.t |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
General Classification Spoiler | 1. N. Bouhanni | Cofidis | 2hr22'54' | | 2. B. Swift | Team Sky | s.t. | | 3. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | s.t. | | 4. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | s.t. | | 5. J. Stuyven | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. | | ... | | 113. D. Monier | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Points Classification Spoiler | 1. N. Bouhanni | Cofidis | 25 pts | | 2. B. Swift | Team Sky | 20 pts | | 3. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 16 pts | | 4. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | 14 pts | | 5. J. Stuyven | Trek-Segafredo | 12 pts |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Mountains Classification Spoiler | 1. S. Firsanov | Gazprom-RusVelo | 3 pts | | 2. A. Valverde | Movistar | 2 pts | | 3. B. Swift | Team Sky | 1 pt |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Young Riders Classification Spoiler | 1. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 2hr22'54'' | | 2. J. Stuyven | Trek-Segafredo | s.t. | | 3. M. Cart Nielsen | BMC Racing | s.t. | | 4. P. Bauhaus | Bora-Argon 18 | s.t. | | 5. B. Markus | Roompot-Oranje Peleton | s.t. |
Stage Report - Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia - Stage 2
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia (2.1)
Stage 2/6, 8.6 km Pre-Race Meeting:
After the opening stage proved to be a non-event for our team, we were looking for a good performance in this short time trial from Romain Sicard and our time trial specialist Damien Monier. Worryingly David Gaudu reported to the team meeting feeling ill. With no doctor with us in Spain, we would just have to hope David's illness passes quickly and doesn't put his participation in his debut race for the team under threat!
--Race Review --
Romain Sicard rode in the car with me for the first few riders to get a feel for the pace of the course. Matthias Le Turnier and the unwell David Gaudu were unable to put in great rides this early in the season, but Remy Di Gregorio put in an excellent rider as he took the provisional lead on the road. After getting a few pointers from Remy, Romain was off to get ready for his time trial. Due to his low finish in the opening stage, Romain was out early with 128 riders still to go. Romain's recon in the car seemed to help as he put in an excellent ride, setting a new provisional best time of 10'07.
Damien Monier was out shortly after Romain finished his time trial. Damien set a blistering pace at the start of the race, beating Romain's time at the time check. However Damien had gone out too hard and faded badly at the end losing 30 seconds to Romain in the second half of the course!
While Romain had put in a strong ride, his time wasn't good enough to hold off the favourites. Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) was out shortly afterwards, and smashed Romain's time by 10 seconds. Maarten Tjallingii (LottoNL-Jumbo) put in a phenomenal ride and looked like he would beat the time of Dennis, but just faded towards the end and finished on exactly the same time! The two of them remained at the top of the leader board with only four riders left in the start gate.
Next out was Michael Matthews (Orica-Bike Exchange), who put in a great ride. The Australian buried himself to try and take the lead, but once again could only match the time at the top of the board. However, the man behind him was flying. Bryan Coquard (Direct Energie), riding in the Young Riders jersey, put in the ride of his life as the young Frenchman beat the time of Dennis, Matthews and Tjallingii by 4 seconds to take the lead on the road. Neither Ben Swift or Nacer Bouhanni could get close to the time, meaning that Bryan Coquard took the stage and the overall race lead!
Romain Sicard crosses the line to complete an impressive Time Trial
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Race Results | 1. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 9'53 | | 2. M. Tjallingii | LottoNL-Jumbo | +4' | | 3. R. Dennis | BMC Racing | s.t. | | 4. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | s.t. | | 5. J. Wallays | Lotto Soudal | +6' |
Spoiler | 10. R. Sicard | BPCE-Natixis | +14' | | 24. R. Di Gregorio | BPCE-Natixis | +17' | | 67. T. Demuseau | BPCE-Natixis | +30' | | 79. J. Gadret | BPCE-Natixis | +33' | | 115. D. Monier | BPCE-Natixis | +42' | | 120. M. Le Turnier | BPCE-Natixis | +43' | | 133. D. Gaudu | BPCE-Natixis | +46' |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
General Classification Spoiler | 1. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 2hr32'47' | | 2. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | +4' | | 3. R. Dennis | BMC Racing | s.t. | | 4. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | s.t. | | 5. J. Wallays | Lotto Soudal | +6' | | ... | | 12. R. Sicard | BPCE-Natixis | +14' |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Points Classification Spoiler | 1. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 47 pts | | 2. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | 28 pts | | 3. N. Bouhanni | Cofidis | 25 pts | | 4. B. Swift | Team Sky | 22 pts | | 5. M. Tjallingii | LottoNL-Jumbo | 20 pts |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Mountains Classification Spoiler | 1. S. Firsanov | Gazprom-RusVelo | 3 pts | | 2. A. Valverde | Movistar | 2 pts | | 3. B. Swift | Team Sky | 1 pt |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Young Riders Classification Spoiler | 1. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 2hr32'47'' | | 2. V. Campenaerts | LottoNL-Jumbo | +9' | | 3. T. Roosen | LottoNL-Jumbo | +12' | | 4. B. Markus | Roompot-Oranje Peleton | +16' | | 5. T. Wellens | Lotto Soudal | +17' |
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| Shonak |
Posted on 08-08-2017 18:39
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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Nice short TT by Sicard there , hope the legs are to achieve a stage win or a Top 10 here albeit I guess competition must be tough in Andalucia. Gaudu finally in racing action _O_ TTs are not his forte despite being ill. Maybe a breakaway on one of the climbs please
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 09-08-2017 06:41
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Shonak wrote:
Nice short TT by Sicard there , hope the legs are to achieve a stage win or a Top 10 here albeit I guess competition must be tough in Andalucia. Gaudu finally in racing action _O_ TTs are not his forte despite being ill. Maybe a breakaway on one of the climbs please
Thanks Shonak! For sure our main aim is for Romain to achieve a top 10 finish in Spain, as I think a stage win may be beyond us with guys like Froome, Valverde, Porte and Bardet in the race! It's really unfortunate that Gaudu became ill as I'm really excited to see what he can do this year! I had my eye on a stage for Gaudu to attack on, so I'm hoping he will recover in time!
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 09-08-2017 21:14
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Sicard going well  |
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 10-08-2017 17:53
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
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It was a good Time Trial considering the field we were up against! I'm hoping Sicard can produce a top 10 finish here and really kick start our season!
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 10-08-2017 17:58
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Stage Report - Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia - Stage 3
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia (2.1)
Stage 3/6, 188.7 km Pre-Race Meeting:
Todays stage looked like it would be one for the strong men, with a tough uphill finish that should rule out the pure sprinters. David Gaudu reported that he was feeling a lot better, seemingly over the illness that had hampered his time trial, which was great news for us! I reminded the boys that today was my last day in Spain before heading back to France for day one of the Tour du Haut Var Matin. Romain in particular had put in a good Time Trial yesterday, so we wanted to build on that momentum today!
--Race Review --
With the KOM points so late in the stage, and a number of big names in the peleton interested in the stage win today, we decided not to put a man in the days break. Six men did go clear though, and at one point their lead had built to over 6 minutes ahead of the peleton. However as the race approached the third category climb up the Lucena, the peleton was bearing down on the remnants of the days break.
John Gadret seemed to be on a good day, so sensing an opportunity he hit the front along with team leader Romain Sicard and lifted the pace of the race up the Lucena. The lifting of the pace began to cause some splits in the pack, and when Team Sky came to the front to keep the pace high over the top of the climb the lead group was down to an elite group of 20 riders. After their work to start the split, Gadret and Sicard had both made it into the lead group! The final descent was extremely fast, with 3 riders dropping off the back of the group and Sicard struggling to stay in touch. Both of our riders earlier efforts meant that they didn't have much left to put into the sprint, which was won impressively by Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), but both were able to finish safely in the lead group on the same time as the winner. David Gaudu also put in a great performance, clearly over his illness as he finished in the second group only 15 seconds behind the winner.
Finishing in the lead group pushed Romain Sicard up into 2nd place on the GC, only 1 second behind leader Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky)! A great result for BPCE-Natixis, and hopefully a sign of things to come!
Romain Sicard and John Gadret set the pace up the Lucena
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Race Results | 1. A. Valverde | Movistar | 4h49'12”” | | 2. T. Voekler | Direct Energie | s.t. | | 3. L. Calmejane | Direct Energie | s.t. | | 4. C. Froome | Team Sky | s.t. | | 5. A. Yates | Orica-Bike Exchange | s.t. |
Spoiler | 12. J. Gadret | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 14. R. Sicard | BPCE-Natixis | s.t | | 43. T. Demuseau | BPCE-Natixis | +15' | | 44. D. Gaudu | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 74. D. Monier | BPCE-Natixis | +30' | | 83. R. Di Gregorio | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 91. M. Le Turnier | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
General Classification Spoiler | 1. V. Kiryienka | Team Sky | 7hr22'12' | | 2. R. Sicard | BPCE-Natixiss | +1' | | 3. A. Valverde | Movistar | +2' | | 4. S. Sanchez | BMC Racing | s.t. | | 5. R. Porte | BMC Racing | s.t. | | ... | | 20. J. Gadret | BPCE-Natixis | +20' |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Points Classification Spoiler | 1. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | 41 pts | | 2. M. Matthews | Orica-Bike Exchange | 28 pts | | 3. N. Bouhanni | Cofidis | 25 pts | | 4. A. Valverde | Movistar | 25 pts | | 5. B. Swift | Team Sky | 22 pts |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Mountains Classification Spoiler | 1. B. Swift | Team Sky | 4 pts | | 2. A. Valverde | Movistar | 3 pts | | 3. S. Firsanov | Gazprom-RusVelo | 3 pts | | 4. P. Gilbert | BMC Racing | 2 pts |
Ruta Del Sol – Vuelta a Andalucia
Young Riders Classification Spoiler | 1. A. Yates | Orica-Bike Exchange | 7hr22'17'' | | 2. D. Formolo | Cannondale | s.t. | | 3. B. Coquard | Direct Energie | +12' | | 4. D. Van Baarle | Cannondale | +17' | | 5. L. Calmejane | Direct Energie | +18' |
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| Shonak |
Posted on 10-08-2017 18:31
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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Well done! Some very smart riding, first aggressive and then staying there in the lead group. Sicard in 2nd is amazing for the moment.
Nice that Gaudu has recovered. Let's see what he can achieve in this race. But with Sicard in 2nd there might no be place for any breakaways.
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 10-08-2017 20:45
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Shonak wrote:
Well done! Some very smart riding, first aggressive and then staying there in the lead group. Sicard in 2nd is amazing for the moment.
Nice that Gaudu has recovered. Let's see what he can achieve in this race. But with Sicard in 2nd there might no be place for any breakaways.
Thanks Shonak! I was very happy with the result, and in all honesty was surprised it put Sicard so high in the GC! The next stage is the Queen Stage of the race with some big mountains, we'll have to see if Sicard can hang with the Froomes and Quintanas of this world!
We'll have to see how the stage pans out, but you can expect a lot of attacks from Gaudu over the next few races!
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 10-08-2017 22:01
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
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Taken from BPCE-NatixisCycling.com
Race Preview – Tour du Haut Var Matin
Tour du Haut Var Matin(2.1)
17/02 – 22/02 | S. Yates | M. Nieve | A. Jeannesson | J. Peraud |
La Méditerranéenne
BPCE-Natixis Line Up Team Leader
Y. Martinez
Free Elements
A. Delaplace J. El-Flares G. Levarlet
Domestiques
R. Bacon S. Georges A. Passerson R. Bouhanni Notes from the Directeur Sportif:
I arrived back in France after a successful few days in Spain on the eve of our second sponsor goal or the season – the Tour du Haut Var Matin. Having missed out on a stage win at La Méditerranéenne, it's become even more important that we secure a top 5 finish here to keep the sponsors happy! Yannick Martinez would once again lead the team and look to be involved in any sprint finishes, while Anthony Delaplace and Julien El-Flares would be looking to be aggressive and sneak a stage win and a high place on GC!
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 10-08-2017 23:21
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 34654
Joined: 22-08-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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Hopefully Martinez will be successful here |
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 11-08-2017 17:22
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
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Here's hoping! We need a result here to keep the sponsors happy!
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 11-08-2017 17:25
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Stage Report – Tour du Haut Var Matin - Stage 1
Tour du Haut Var Matin (2.1)
Stage 1/2, 166.6 km Pre-Race Meeting:
While there were no major climbs on todays stage, the tough uphill finish made it more a stage for a strongman rather than a pure sprinter. We were hoping Yannick Martinez would figure in any sprint, and also had Julien El-Flares and Anthony Delaplace looking to steal a result today. I reminded the riders that out sponsors had given us an objective of finishing in the top 5 on GC, which in such a short stage race meant we needed a result today!
--Race Review --
We decided not to put a man into the early break today, and trusted that in such a short stage race that the big teams would bring the race back together. We were proved to be right, as the peleton reeled in the break as the race climbed up the category 3 Seillans, the final categorised climb of the day. As the race crested the Seillans, Julien El-Fares moved himself to the very front of the peleton for the descent.
The peleton flew down the descent and El-Flares was still right at the front of the race as the peleton hit the bottom of the final, uncategorised climb of the day. Anthony Delaplace and Yannick Martinez were also well placed, but it was Julien El-Flares who launched an attack with 8 km to go! The teams at the front of the peleton seemed to hesitate, and allowed El-Flares to get a gap and begin to build a lead! The peleton fell into chaos as no one team seemed able to take control and peg back El-Flares' opportunistic move. With 1km to go as El-Flares passed under the Flamme Rouge he amazingly still held a lead of 19 seconds over the rapidly advancing peleton! Would it be enough to hold on to the finish line?
Julien El-Flares goes under the Flamme Rouge with a 19 second lead over the peleton!
With 100 metres to go El-Flares still held a slender lead, but the peleton ws only seconds behind and was now sprinting at full tilt! Michael Valgren (Tinkoff) was the man sprinting fastest from the peleton, and he agonisingly passed El-Flares right on the line! El-Flares was able to hold off the rest of the peleton though, and earned an impressive second place for his brave solo attack!
Valgren passes Julien El-Flares with only metres to go to take the stage win
Tour du Haut Var Matin
Race Results | 1. M. Valgren | Tinkoff | 4h01'13”” | | 2. J. El-Flares | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 3. A. Vuillermoz | AG2R La Mondiale | s.t. | | 4. E. Gasparotto | Wanty-Groupe | s.t. | | 5. S. Spilak | Team Katusha | s.t. |
Spoiler | 19. A. Delaplace | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 27. Y. Martinez | BPCE-Natixis | s.t | | 35. A. Passerson | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 40. R. Bouhanni | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 93. G. Levarlet | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 100. R. Bacon | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 107. S. Georges | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. |
Tour du Haut Var Matin
General Classification Spoiler | 1. M. Valgren | Tinkoff | 4hr01'13' | | 2. J. El-Flares | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. | | 3. A. Vuillermoz | AG2R La Mondiale | s.t. | | 4. E. Gasparotto | Wanty-Groupe | s.t. | | 5. S. Spilak | Team Katusha | s.t. | | ... | | 19. A. Delaplace | BPCE-Natixis | s.t. |
Tour du Haut Var Matin
Points Classification Spoiler | 1. M. Valgren | Tinkoff | 25 pts | | 2. J. El-Flares | BPCE-Natixis | 20 pts | | 3. A. Vuillermoz | AG2R La Mondiale | 16 pts | | 4. E. Gasparotto | Wanty-Groupe | 14 pts | | 5. S. Spilak | Team Katusha | 12 pts |
Tour du Haut Var Matin
Mountains Classification Spoiler | 1. R. Combaud | Delko Marseille | 6 pts | | 2. C. Knees | Team Sky | 4 pts | | 3. M. Valgren | Gazprom-RusVelo | 4 pts | | 4. G. Thevanot | Direct Energie | 3 pts | | 5. J. Leveau | Roubaix Lille Metropole | 3 pts |
Tour du Haut Var Matin
Young Riders Classification Spoiler | 1. M. Valgren | Tinkoff | 4hr01'13' | | 2. S. Oomen | Team Giant-Alpecin | s.t. | | 3. Z. Waeytens | Team Giant-Alpecin | s.t. | | 4. S. Yates | Orica-Bike Exchange | s.t. | | 5. S. Henao | Team Sky | s.t. |
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| Shonak |
Posted on 11-08-2017 17:38
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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No, what heartbreak result. But at least sponsot should be happy if El Flares keepa it
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| daggers81 |
Posted on 12-08-2017 10:24
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Under 23
Posts: 84
Joined: 16-08-2012
PCM$: 200.00
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Shonak wrote:
No, what heartbreak result. But at least sponsot should be happy if El Flares keepa it
El-Flares was so close! Pipped right on the line!  Like you say we're still in a good position though, and hopefully we can go one better in Stage Two!
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T. Slagter
V. Kiryienka
M. Matthews
P. Gilbert
S. Spilak
