The Grand Prix of Marsaille follows the Zurich race and it looks one for the punchaers even if it is not perhaps as demanding as the toughest hilly circuits.
The favourites for today are declared to be Carlos Alberto Ospina Ricardo Serrano Diego Milan Fabio Ciccarese Krzysztof Szczawinski Manuel Ortega
and Ruslan Grychenko
The race is a fairly short one and the pack are unwilling to let a big break settle, eventually 3 riders do get away though.
British veteran Charles Wegelius
escapes with his younger compatriot Ben Stockdale
young Slovenian Dalibor Grželj
joins them.
As this escape moves into the last 100km of the race they are joined by four more riders bridging across.
Kasper Klostergaard Guillaume Bonnafond Elia Rigotto
and Patrice Wouters
make it across. With 80km to go the lead seven have a 2.15 gap
High finisher in Zurich Jake Sutherland
still has some legs and decides on another long break attempt. Maxim Burlutsky
decides to take a gamble and join the Australian as we enter the last 75kms.
These two do join the 7 man break fairly quickly as we get onto the really long climb of the day, it is Maher Hasnaoui
who forced the pace somewhat here.
This is beginning to put pressure on the pack as it temporarily splits and reforms, sensing AMEX are struggling to maintain the temp Ekspla take over at the front.
AMEX though still have riders near the front and decide to mark a dangerous move from one of the favourites as Krzysztof Szczawinski
attacks Tareq Esmaeli
follows.
It is mayhem behind as Ekspla try to control this powerful move, the pack splits again with the likes of Ruben Elvira Lobato Manuel Ortega Alberto Rodriguez Oliver
and Angel Vicioso
caught up behind. Samsung - Mol are having to work hard here.
As we get under 40km to go the lead 7 have 3.30 on the 27 rider pack with most of the favourites in. Rigotto, Bonnofond have been dropped by the break and are somewhere in between with Esmaeli and Szczawinski moving forwards. The two late attackers are having to work hard to get up to the break but by 33km to go catch the two dropped riders.
In the pack it is Ekspla who have been doing a lot of the work and their French leader senses now with 32km to go he has to punch out on his own.
As Esmaeli and Szczawinski join the lead group of 7 (leaving the dropped riders behind) more riders attack out of the rapidly disintegrating front peloton.
Laurent Mangel Julian David Muñoz Giraldo Angel Vicioso
are some of these attackers.
Just three of these riders though have the power to bridge Ciccerese, Daeninck and Herve are those men.
As they latch onto the back of the front group of nine, it splits though with six riders going on ahead before the three punchaers cna get settled in.
Sutherland, Burlutsky, Szczawinski, Esmaeli, Wegelius and Wouters make it into the lead group of six leaving the other six to try and chase on. Ciccerese is determined to make it across and is leading the French pair Daeninck and Herve along with Dionne and Stockdale.
All but Stockdale get across to the break to make a lead group of ten riders. Stckdale drops back to the next chase group that contains Grychenko, Van der Schueren, Leukemans, M Giraldo and Ospina. Milan, Mangel and Serrano are further back still.
Up front Daeninck is looking agressive and is determined to make sure the dangermen like Grychenko and Ospina are not going to get across. He attacks the front group into the last 12kms.
As we descend towards the finish Esmaelu and Szczawinski decide to drop back and gamble on the chase group making it across with teammates Ospina and M Giraldo.
Daeninck reaches the bottom of the descent with about 28 seconds of a lead, not too many fans here in Marsaille lets hope the French rider does not lose heart!
It becomes clear that the higly questionable tactic of dropping back is backfiring for the AMEX and Tyskie rider as their chase group is not getting across the front group. The front group look set to reel Daenink in as Burlutsky leads out.
Ciccerese and Sutherland look the fastest and Wegelius one of the first in the break looks to follow them through. Agonisingly for Daeninck the finish cannot come quick enough and the other Frenchman Herve just does not have a quick enough finish in him.
Sutherland having shown a decent sprint to take 3rd in Zurich is full of confidence and powers past Daenink and Ciccerese. The EfTel rider has been a real hit in these two hilly classics and takes the win after gambling again on the long break win.
Ciccerese is second with Daeninck as disappointed third. Herve takes fourth for the ultra consistent Het Nieuwsblad team, and how about this Delhaize's Wouters has a brilliant ride to take fifth.
Dionne, Wegelius and the ever niave leading out Armavia rider Burlutsky is 8th. Grychenko leads the rest in at ninth with the two Tyskie and AMEX riders looking glum about their tactics!
