After his struggles in March, particularly in the Tour of Catalonia, Alexandre Géniez was back to his best on his 27-year birthday. Protagonist in a very promising breakaway in the GP Denain, he was caught just 3km from the finish and hopes to be in excellent condition for the Giro d'Italia in early May.

Due to disease for Arnaud Courteille (gastroenteritis) and Marc Sarreau (fever), the FDJ team only had six riders in the race but they didn't give up. With Lorrenzo Manzin, they had a chance in the expected sprint.

After an attempt from David Boucher early in the race, Alexandre Géniez joined a breakaway at km 67 and took the lead with Turgot (AG2R-La Mondiale) and De Winter (Wallonie Bruxelles). The three riders had no more than 3'15 '' lead at km 84 and their fate seemed sealed. However, Geniez forced the Cofidis team to work hard.

"With15 kilometers to go, Alexandre continued alone and he believed in it," sports director Thierry Bricaud said. "The platoon had stalled at two minutes and several teams came to join the pursuit, Bardiani-CSF, Europcar and Bretagne-Seche. He was caught with three kilometers to go. It's not the Géniez of the Tour of Catalonia . Last week, after the Scheldeprijs, he trained the Pyrenees for three days. This weekend, he will compete in the Tour du Finistère  and Tro Bro Leon."

In the sprint, Lorrenzo Manzin had to fend for himself too early and had to close a few gaps before launching his sprint. He finished in eighth place which is not bad for the youngster.