Reinardt Janse van Rensburg sprints to fifth place at the Grand Prix d’Isbergues in France after a strong showing from Team Giant-Shimano with Simon Geschke in the day’s breakaway.

An initial break of seven riders pulled clear before Simon jumped across with one other. These nine stayed clear until around 20km to go where two jumped away but that spelled an end to their chances and with six kilometres the race was back together. The team pulled Reinardt up into a good position and he moved through to take fifth at the finish, with Arnaud Démare (FDJ) taking the win.

The team were really for any eventuality in today’s race, with a chance that the right break could stay clear, but also an equally good chance that everything would be controlled for a bunch sprint.

With Simon in the break the first eventuality was covered, but behind FDJ.fr were keen for another sprint victory after delivering Démare to the win yesterday, and they controlled the race and brought the breakaway back before the finish for another bunch kick.

Démare delviered, while Reinardt came from too far back to salvage a fifth place.

“FDJ rode strong today to control the race on their own, but we wanted to be covered for the eventuality that the break would stay away. Simon did a great job to get up there in the move after the team had ridden a good start to the race,” Team Giant-Shimano coach Marc Reef said after the race.

“At the finish Johannes [Fröhlinger] did a good job to bring Reinardt up there but Reinardt was still a little way back and was still moving up in the sprint. He did well to get fifth but at the same time he was capable of more.”