Having just finished a less successful Tour de France, Julien Simon defended his lead in the Coupe de France in yesterday's La Polynormande one-day race. However, the Cofidis rider was not completely satisfied with the outcome of the race.

After a disappointing 2013 season, Julien Simon has had a great start to his Cofidis career and the Frenchman is currenly leading the prestigious Coupe de France race series. Yesterday he faced an important test in La Polynormande where his lead was under threat by Alexis Gougeard and Samuel Dumoulin.

All three overall contenders missed the selection when 14 riders escaped early in the race and so the round didn't have a major impact on the overall standings. Nonetheless, Simon was not too pleased with the outcome.

"I went full gas right from the gun," he told Directvelo. "For a long time we had a great fight. I knew that Alexis Gougeard wanted to join the break. I really had to dig deep.I hurt to follow him. He was in a lot of attacks. At one point, I thought we were riding away in a group of 15-20. Then it was the counterattack of fourteen riders that made it. 

"Immediately I saw that Alexis Gougeard and Samuel Dumoulin were in the bunch. It was a relief for me but I was also a little disappointed because I think I could have scored some points.

"The team chased. The strategy was to achieve the maximum possible. I think we got back to 1'25''. We were close to reopening the race, but we were only 3-4 team riders. That's how it ended. The Polynormande has never worked for me. But okay, I only lost three points to Samuel Dumoulin. 

"I do not take anything for granted. Bryan Coquard can win the next round in Châteauroux and take 50 points. The race finishes in a sprint. I do not lose my focus, I'll do the remaining rounds as best I can."