Benoît Cosnefroy (Ag2r-Citroën) kicked past Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) to win the Bretagne Classic-Ouest France on Sunday.
Cosnefroy had attacked out of the bunch with Alaphilippe and his Deceuninck-Quick-Step teammate Mikkel Honoré at 65km. The 25-year-old held strong under the pressure as the Quick-Step duo worked their numerical advantage through the final before outsprinting Alaphilippe for the biggest victory of his career to date.
Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates) had also been in the attack group with Cosnefroy, but was dropped at 45km to go in what was his first race since winning bronze at the Olympic Games.
🇫🇷 @GrandPrixPlouay@BenoitCosnefroy remporte sa première victoire World Tour 🥇 C'est la 8ème victoire de la saison pour @AG2RCITROENTEAM 💪🏼@BenoitCosnefroy wins his first World Tour victory 🥇 It's the 8th victory for the team 💪🏼#AG2RCITROËNTEAM – © @GettySport pic.twitter.com/3HNbUpamnQ
— DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM (@decathlonAG2RLM) August 29, 2021
Quinten Hermans (Intermarché-Wanty) and Alessandro de Marchi (Israel-Start-Up Nation) were early attackers in the WorldTour classic. The duo dropped breakaway partners Alexis Gougeard (Ag2r-Citroën) and Sébastien Grignard (Lotto Soudal) around midway trough the 251km trek through northern France and held a two-minute gap over the bunch, which was patrolled by Deceuninck-Quick-Step.
Alaphilippe made the selection in the peloton on a gravel climb at 65km to go. Pogačar was one of the first to respond along with Honoré and Cosnefroy but soon looked to be struggling and lost the wheels in a grinding uphill at 45km remaining.
🇫🇷 #BretagneClassic An attack from @TamauPogi off the front of the peloton 💥 pic.twitter.com/zPbENvEVnS
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) August 29, 2021
Alaphilippe, Cosnefroy and Honoré rode clear, caught and dropped remaining breakaway rider Di Marchi, and nursed a delicate 45-second lead as the peloton made a desperate chase behind.
The trio’s chances were boosted when a flurry of attacks and counters in the bunch saw the chase begin to stutter and Deceuninck-Quick-Step marked out the threats.
Alaphilippe piled the pressure onto Cosnefroy in the final 15km as his young Quick-Step teammate Honoré appeared to be fading. Despite being outnumbered, the 25-year-old Cosnefroy held his nerve and went into the final 3km locked into the Quick-Step duo as they nursed a slim gap over the peloton.
Honoré lead out the sprint for his world champion teammate and Alaphilippe and Consefroy both peeled off the wheel together. The pair went elbow to elbow in a long dragging sprint, but Alaphilippe sat up early in the grinding uphill kick as Consnefroy edged clear to score his first WorldTour win.
Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France Results
Stage | Rank | Name | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | COSNEFROY Benoît | AG2R Citroën Team | 5:59:56 |
2 | ALAPHILIPPE Julian | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 0:00 |
3 | HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 0:03 |
4 | HAYTER Ethan | INEOS Grenadiers | 0:13 |
5 | SWIFT Connor | Team Arkéa Samsic | 0:13 |
6 | BONNAMOUR Franck | B&B Hotels p/b KTM | 0:13 |
7 | STUYVEN Jasper | Trek - Segafredo | 0:13 |
8 | MADOUAS Valentin | Groupama - FDJ | 0:13 |
9 | PACHER Quentin | B&B Hotels p/b KTM | 0:16 |
10 | NIZZOLO Giacomo | Team Qhubeka NextHash | 0:17 |
11 | HOFSTETTER Hugo | Israel Start-Up Nation | 0:17 |
12 | BALLERINI Davide | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 0:17 |
13 | ALEOTTI Giovanni | BORA - hansgrohe | 0:17 |
14 | PARET-PEINTRE Aurélien | AG2R Citroën Team | 0:17 |
15 | SIMON Julien | TotalEnergies | 0:17 |
16 | GODON Dorian | AG2R Citroën Team | 0:17 |
17 | PICHON Laurent | Team Arkéa Samsic | 0:17 |
18 | SERRANO Gonzalo | Movistar Team | 0:17 |
19 | HERMANS Ben | Israel Start-Up Nation | 0:17 |
20 | BARGUIL Warren | Team Arkéa Samsic | 0:17 |
21 | CHEVALIER Maxime | B&B Hotels p/b KTM | 0:17 |
22 | VALGREN Michael | EF Education - Nippo | 0:17 |
23 | WILLIAMS Stephen | Bahrain - Victorious | 0:17 |
24 | BURGAUDEAU Mathieu | TotalEnergies | 0:17 |
25 | KANGERT Tanel | Team BikeExchange | 0:17 |
26 | HINDLEY Jai | Team DSM | 0:17 |
27 | CATTANEO Mattia | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 0:17 |
28 | FERASSE Thibault | B&B Hotels p/b KTM | 0:17 |
29 | BARBERO Carlos | Team Qhubeka NextHash | 0:22 |
30 | VENDRAME Andrea | AG2R Citroën Team | 0:53 |
31 | BOASSON HAGEN Edvald | TotalEnergies | 0:53 |
32 | TRARIEUX Julien | DELKO | 0:53 |
33 | GOLDSTEIN Omer | Israel Start-Up Nation | 0:53 |
34 | ULISSI Diego | UAE Team Emirates | 0:53 |
35 | PÉRICHON Pierre-Luc | Cofidis | 0:53 |
36 | KONRAD Patrick | BORA - hansgrohe | 0:53 |
37 | HARDY Romain | Team Arkéa Samsic | 0:53 |
38 | GREGAARD Jonas | Astana - Premier Tech | 0:53 |
39 | GONZÁLEZ Abner | Movistar Team | 0:53 |
40 | MARTIN Dan | Israel Start-Up Nation | 0:53 |
41 | SKJELMOSE Mattias | Trek - Segafredo | 0:53 |
42 | DONOVAN Mark | Team DSM | 0:53 |
43 | WARBASSE Larry | AG2R Citroën Team | 0:53 |
44 | HIGUITA Sergio | EF Education - Nippo | 0:53 |
45 | LÓPEZ-CÓZAR Juan Antonio | Burgos - BH | 1:09 |
46 | GESBERT Élie | Team Arkéa Samsic | 1:47 |
47 | EENKHOORN Pascal | Team Jumbo-Visma | 2:03 |
48 | GAUDU David | Groupama - FDJ | 2:25 |
49 | ROWE Luke | INEOS Grenadiers | 2:25 |
50 | DÍAZ José Manuel | DELKO | 2:58 |
51 | TURGIS Anthony | TotalEnergies | 3:39 |
52 | RUBIO Einer | Movistar Team | 3:39 |
53 | GESCHKE Simon | Cofidis | 3:45 |
54 | BARTHE Cyril | B&B Hotels p/b KTM | 3:45 |
55 | DE MARCHI Alessandro | Israel Start-Up Nation | 4:27 |
56 | CLARKE Simon | Team Qhubeka NextHash | 4:39 |
57 | DECLERCQ Tim | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 4:53 |
58 | PLANCKAERT Baptiste | Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux | 4:53 |
59 | GOOSSENS Kobe | Lotto Soudal | 4:53 |
60 | FEDELI Alessandro | DELKO | 4:53 |
61 | VINGEGAARD Jonas | Team Jumbo-Visma | 4:53 |
62 | SERRY Pieter | Deceuninck - Quick Step | 6:30 |
63 | PEÑALVER Manuel | Burgos - BH | 6:30 |
64 | FUENTES Ángel | Burgos - BH | 6:30 |
65 | GRMAY Tsgabu | Team BikeExchange | 6:30 |
66 | BENNETT Sean | Team Qhubeka NextHash | 6:30 |
67 | KUDUS Merhawi | Astana - Premier Tech | 6:30 |
68 | SEIGLE Romain | Groupama - FDJ | 6:30 |
69 | BELLICAUD Jeremy | Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux | 6:30 |
70 | DELETTRE Alexandre | DELKO | 6:30 |
71 | BOOKWALTER Brent | Team BikeExchange | 6:30 |
72 | SCHMID Mauro | Team Qhubeka NextHash | 6:30 |
73 | GUGLIELMI Simon | Groupama - FDJ | 6:30 |
74 | DEKKER David | Team Jumbo-Visma | 6:30 |
75 | BERNARD Julien | Trek - Segafredo | 6:30 |
76 | EEKHOFF Nils | Team DSM | 6:30 |
77 | LEDANOIS Kévin | Team Arkéa Samsic | 6:30 |
78 | LEKNESSUND Andreas | Team DSM | 6:30 |
79 | FERNÁNDEZ Delio | DELKO | 10:43 |
80 | DOULL Owain | INEOS Grenadiers | 10:43 |
81 | SWIFT Ben | INEOS Grenadiers | 10:43 |
82 | AYUSO Juan | UAE Team Emirates | 10:43 |
83 | COMBAUD Romain | Team DSM | 10:43 |
84 | CULLAIGH Gabriel | Movistar Team | 10:43 |
85 | CHAMPION Thomas | Cofidis | 10:43 |
86 | AMADOR Andrey | INEOS Grenadiers | 10:43 |
87 | COLLEONI Kevin | Team BikeExchange | 10:43 |
88 | SAMITIER Sergio | Movistar Team | 13:04 |
89 | LEEMREIZE Gijs | Team Jumbo-Visma | 13:04 |
90 | MARCZYŃSKI Tomasz | Lotto Soudal | 13:04 |
91 | CONCA Filippo | Lotto Soudal | 13:04 |
92 | CANTÓN Isaac | Burgos - BH | 13:04 |
93 | TERPSTRA Niki | TotalEnergies | 13:04 |
94 | EG Niklas | Trek - Segafredo | 13:04 |
95 | APARICIO Mario | Burgos - BH | 13:04 |
96 | GALL Felix | Team DSM | 13:04 |
97 | PERRY Benjamin | Astana - Premier Tech | 13:04 |
Results provided by ProCyclingStats.