As none of his direct rivals were present, Julien Simon went into the Chateauroux Classic de l'Indre with the goal of extending his lead in the Coupe de France standings. Having sprinted to 14th, he scored a few points but had hoped for more.

With several good results on the French one-day scene, Julien Simon has taken the lead in the prestigious Coupe de France race series. Yesterday he went into the Chateauroux Classic de l'Indre with the goal of extending his lead.

The race usually suits the pure sprinters and so it was a difficult task for a puncheur like Simon. By finishing 14th, however, he managed to score three points and extend his lead slightly.

"The goal this morning was to score some points," he told Directvelo. "My direct rivals (Alexis Gougeard, Bryan Coquard and Samuel Dumoulin) were not here. I scored three. That's good, but I was still hoping for a bit more. 

"Near the end of the race I realized that it would be a bunch sprint. I knew it would be difficult to take a top 5 and I did not take any unnecessary risks on the final circuit. 

"I tried to avoid crashes because I have important upcoming races, not only in the Coupe de France. In two weeks I will do the Brussels Cycling Classic and then the Grand Prix de Fourmies, the Tour du Doubs, the Grand Prix de Wallonie and the Grand Prix Isbergues."