Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r) continued what has been an impressive start to his short professional career when he took his fourth victory in less than 18 months by winning the third stage of the 4 Days of Dunkirk. Having joined the right 3-rider break, the Frenchman beat Julien Antomarchi (Roubaix) and Brayan Ramirez (Colombia) in the sprint while Bryan Coquard (Europcar) finished 5th and defnded his overall lead.

To be a prolific winner in the pro peloton, one usually has to be a good sprinter, a strong climber or a great time triallist. If you don’t possess one of those qualities, it is often very hard to build a palmares with lots of victories.

Alexis Gougeard is a brutally strong rouleur but he doesn’t possess any of those three skills. Nonetheless, he seems to have the right winning mentality as he went into the 4 Days of Dunkirk with 3 pro wins in less than 18 months at the pro level.

Today the strong Frenchman confirmed his ability to win when he came out on top on the third stage of the windy, hilly French race. As it has been the case in his first three triumphs, he again used his aggressiveness to hold off the sprinters on a day that was expected to be for the fast men.

Gougeard joined forces with Brayan Ramirez (Colombia) and Julien Antomarchi (Roubaix) to form the day’s early 3-rider break but they didn’t seem to have much of a chance on a mostly flat stage. However, the Cofidis team started to chase too late and as they only got a bit of help from the Wanty team, they never caught the trio.

"When we entered the final circuit with an advantage of 6 minutes, I believed in our chances," he said. "In the finale, I thought I would go alone but did not succeed. The sprint was tricky. In the peloton, I would not have liked to fight for position. I managed my acceleration well. 

"This is the second time this year that I win in front of my family. I'm happy. This is my first race after a break and I have good sensations. I am hopeful for the rest of the season. "