Having struggled to live up to the great expectations, Adrien Petit (Cofidis) proved that he still has what it takes to win bike races when he emerged as the strongest on the gravel roads of yesterday's Tro-Bro Leon. The Frenchman admitted to have started to doubt his own abilities after joining the professional ranks and was reassured by the big triumph in the race known as the small Paris-Roubaix.

Since he finished second behind Arnaud Demare at the 2011 U23 Worlds, Adrien Petit has carried a lot of expectations on his shoulders but the young Cofidis rider has failed to live up to the lofty promises. Apart from a win at the 2013 Tropicale Amissa Bongo, he has failed to take any major victories in his first years as a professional.

Yesterday that changed when he won one of the most prestigious races on the French calendar as he triumphed in the Tro-Bro Leon. The Breton race is held over several sectors of gravel roads and is known as the Bretagne version of Paris-Roubaix.

In the big French classics one week ago, Petit had already shown that he was in splendid condition and today he made use of his skills on rough surfaces to take an impressive win in Bretagne. Arriving at the finish with former teammate Flavien Dassonville, he was the obvious favourite to win the sprint and he had no trouble holding off his rival.

After his many struggles, the win came as a big relief for Petit.

"I often had doubts in my own abilities," he told L'Equipe. "I even asked if I still knew how to win. Last year, I had 25 top 10 finishes. It was very annoying. I want to thank my team for their constant trust in me.

"We [Petit and Dassonville] had a good understanding and managed to keep a comfortable lead until the end. I am now relieved because I have been expected to take a win at this level for so long time."

"To win a race like the Tro Bro Léon is a big thing," explained Cofidis sports director Jean-Luc Jonrond. "We have been so close to victory so many times, especially with Julien Simon, but we have failed to finish it off.

"It is also good for Adrien who really needed a victory like this to restore confidence. He was almost desperate because he always only took places of honour. I hope this will change the rest of his career. He has now seen how he can win under different circumstances than a bunch sprint."