Having won the race in 2011, Greg Van Avermaet was one of the favourites for today's Paris-Tours. The Belgian played a prominent role in the finale but as he had had to chase back from a crash, he lacked the final bit to make a difference.

Two riders from what had been a seven-man breakaway – Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) and Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) – sprinted it out Sunday at Paris-Tours to successfully complete an escape of more than 230 kilometers. 

The BMC Racing Team contributed to the chase from behind in the final 25 km of the 237.5-km race. With the gap to the leaders hovering inside of 30 seconds, BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet and Dylan Teuns were part of a pursuit that included Jonas Vangenechten and one of his Lotto-Belisol teammates and John Degankolb and one of his Giant-Shimano teammates.

"If that group rides with three, then maybe they close the gap," BMC Racing Team Sport Director Rik Verbrugghe said. "But everyone was scared of Degenkolb in the sprint. So Dylan went alone to try to catch the group up front."

Teuns, a stagiaire who has signed with the BMC Racing Team for 2015, chased hard to catch the leading pair but was caught in the final kilometer. Wallays beat Voeckler in the sprint as Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Belisol) took the field sprint 12 seconds later. Loïc Vliegen – another stagiaire and a teammate of Teuns's on the BMC Development Team – was the BMC Racing Team's best finisher in 27th, while Teuns finished 30th.

Van Avermaet, winner of this race in 2011, finished 39th after being delayed by a crash with 20 km to go.

"Greg didn't crash, but he had to start and stop again," Verbrugghe said. "He felt he had to chase hard to take the last two climbs in good position, which really killed him."