After coming close on a number of occasions, Arnaud Demare (FDJ) finally secured his first season victory today. He held off Bryan Coquard (Europcar) and teammate Nacer Bouhanni in a bunch kick at the end of the GP de Denain.

 

It has been a frustrating season start for Arnaud Demare who after a highly successful debut season with 6 victories has struggled to get off the mark in 2013. A pair of 2nd places in a stage of the Tour Down Under and the Driedaagse van de Panne were until today's GP de Denain his best results.

 

However, the traditional sprint festival in the Northern France proved to be the perfect stomping ground for the fast Frenchman. At the end of a perfect team effort in which his team had taken the main responsibility to chase down the day's early break, he beat young talent Bryan Coquard (Europcar) and teammate Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) in the final bunch kick.

 

The tactics of the FDJ team had been the topic of plenty of pre-race discussion with the team lining up its two young star sprinters Bouhanni and Demare in the same race for the first time this season. In the end, the team chose to give the former U23 world champion the chance to finally get off the mark.

 

The runner-up position for Coquard must be highly frustrating for the talented Frenchman. After taking four victories early in the year, he returned to Europe after his participation in the Malaysian Tour de Langkawi with the firm ambition of continuing his winning streak. He has been close a number of times and today's result is his fourth podium spot and third 2nd place in a period of just 12 days. However, the victory has so far eluded the Olympic silver medallist.

 

Demare's victory is just another in a highly successful month of April for the French team. During a period of just 8 days, the team has amassed no less than 4 victories and today's triumph is taken just two days after Pierrick Fedrigo's win in the Paris-Camembert.

 

A sprinter's race

The 199km GP de Denain is held in one of the flattest parts of France and is a prestigious race for the sprinters to include in their palmares. Hence, it was no surprise to see the race present a formidable line-up of fast finishers with the likes of Demare, Bouhanni, Coquard, Yauheni Hutarovich (Ag2r), Danilo Napolitano (Accent.jobs), Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil), Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil), Barry Markus (Vacansoleil), Adrien Petit (Cofidis), Matteo Pelucchi (IAM), Michael Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen) and overall Coupe de France leader Justin Jules (La Pomme Marseille) all hoping to succeed Juan Jose Haedo in the race's honours list.

 

As soon as the flag was dropped to signal the start of the race, Rudy Kowalski (Roubaix Lille Metropole) and Vegard Stake Laengen (Bretagne-Seche) managed to escape the peloton's clutches. Flavien Dassonville (Bigmat-Auber 93) gave chase a for a number of kilometres, the three riders stayed less than 30 seconds ahead of the bunch.

 

With most teams expecting the race to come down to a bunch sprint, the bunch eased off and the escapees were allowed to build up a substantial gap. Dassonville joined the front duo and later Sven Jodts (Colba-Superamo Ham) also managed to gain contact with the group.

 

The gap grows

The four riders built up an advantage of more than 9 minutes before the teams of the sprinters kicked into action. The FDJ team of Bouhanni and Demare did most of the work but the Cofidis team of Petit and Stephane Poulhies and the Europcar team of Coquard also did their fair share of the work.

 

The gap started to come down and with 60km remaining, the break was no more than 4.25 ahead of the peloton. Meanwhile, Jodts struggled in the front group and he was dropped and later caught by the peloton.

 

With 50km remaining, the IAM team of Pelucchi also joined the pace-making making it highly unlikely that the break would survive. At the same time, Peter Sagan (Cannondale) abandoned the race, the Slovakian only using the race as a last preparation ahead of Sunday's Amstel Gold Race.

 

More teams join the chase

With the Ag2r team of Hutarovich and the Vacansoleil team of Markus, Van Hummel and Feillu also joining the work in the peloton, the gap started to come down rapidly and with 12km to go it was all back together. This was the signal for Cyril Lemine (Sojasun) and Yannick Martinez (La Pomme Marseille) to go off the front but the attack was short-lived and with 4km remaing it was once again "gruppo compatto".

 

Inside the final 3 kilometres, the sprint trains of Europcar and Cofidis battled to take control but they were both denied on the line. Demare proved to be the fastest and finally took his first victory since his triumph in the Vattenfall Cyclassics last August.

 

Result:

1. Arnaud Demare 4.55.35

2. Bryan Coquard s.t.

3. Nacer Bouhanni s.t.

4. Benoit Drujon s.t.

5. Takashi Miyazawa s.t.

6. Adrien Petit s.t.

7. Julien Duval s.t.

8. Danilo Napolitano s.t.

9. Barry Markus s.t.

10. Benjamin Giraud s.t.