Pierrick Fedrigo won Sunday's Cholet-Pays de la Loire as he had done it ten years ago. The race was animated by Cédric Pineau (14th) who was on the attack all day but paid the price for his efforts in the finale.

"Everything was very fast," explained sports director Yvon Madiot. "40 riders got clear in the first hour and it was soon evident that the winner was in this large group. FDJ was represented by Cédric Pineau, Anthony Geslin and Francis Mourey."

Pineau was very active and 72 kilometers from the finish, he made the move that proved decisive. "Returning to competition after his abandonment in Tirreno-Adriatico, he was not very sure of himself and told me that he wanted to attack before the finale," said Madior. "He gave a lot and it's a shame because he was strong."

First Pineau was in the lead with Duval (Armee) and Dupont (Roubaix-Lille Métropole), before Fedrigo and Voeckler (Europcar) joined them. When the latter two accelerated, Pineau still had the energy to join them before losing ground with 20km to go without gettin dropped from the group that sprinted for 6th. He took a praiseworthy fourteenth place.

Due to a 15km solo attack, Fedrigo took the win.

"I have mixed emotions, said Madiot. "Kevin Reza made ​​the race on Saturday, Cédric today, but their teammates were not active enough. Even if I do not forget that Murilo Fischer and Arnaud Courteille were back from injury."

"The day was very hectic," Pineau told Directvelo. "There were attacks from the midpoint of the race because we were many in the lead group. We were three from the team, with Anthony Geslin and Francis Mourey. I tried to be one step ahead because I'm not in my best shape. I have been sick lately and am still recovering. 

"We can have fun in the Coupe de France races, so I tried to enjoy myself to the fullest. I was surprised to find myself in the lead 30 kilometers from the finish with Pierrick Fedrigo and Thomas Voeckler. But I was empty. Pierrick atttacked strongly on the penultimate climb. He dropped us. Everyone ended up tired because there was a lot of action throughout the race."