21st Grand Prix Ouest-France, HC

France, August 29, 1999

1998 Results     Past Winners

Preview:

Organized from the daily paper Ouest France, the 21st Grand Prix Ouest-France de Plouay (Morbihan) will be raced on Sunday with the all the major contenders for the Worlds present including Richard Virenque and Stéphane Heulot and perhaps Italian Marco Pantani. American Lance Armstrong will not be racing as he is now concentrating on MTBs for the rest of the season. The major teams in the Spanish peloton also will not be racing. With the Vuelta only a week away, ONCE and Banesto prefer to rest their riders. But some riders are now concentrating on the Worlds in October and see this race as a natural rehearsal.

Italian Mirko Celestino, recent winner of the HEW Cyclassics in Hamburg will accompany his Polti teammate Richard Virenque. Mercatone Uno have sent a strong team and there was a hint around that team leader Marco Pantani might show up. He is yet to make a comeback after the doping scandal in the Giro. The Espoirs World Champion Sergio Barbero (Riso Scotti) will be riding as will the Russian champion Serguei Ivanov (TVM). Mapei-Quick Step have sent two top riders in Pavel Tonkov and Figueras. Franck Vandenbroucke dropped out of the Tour Poitou-Charentes on the last day to prepare for the GP Plouay. Last year's victor Pascal Hervé will be starting.

The French form rider at the moment is Stéphane Heulot, winner of the Tour du Limousin and coming off a good Tour de France. Laurent Madouas always races well on a parcours he knows well. Other French hopefuls include Road Champion François Simon, Cédric Vasseur and Frédéric Guesdon.

The GP Ouest-France takes the riders over 15 laps of a 14 kms parcours for a total of 209 kms. The race starts at 12.40 and is expected to finish around 17.40. It is the same circuit that will be used for the Worlds in 2000.

Report:

31-year old French rider Christophe Mengin (La Française des Jeux) won the GP Ouest-France de Plouay in front of Swiss rider Markus Zberg and Russian Sergueï Ivanov with more than 200,000 spectators out in force applauding the 160 riders.

Christophe Mengin said afterwards: "It is a race that is close to my heart. I had the legs and I wanted to attack in the last lap but I could not find an opening in the final sprint. But somehow I came past Zberg in a last second coup."

Team manager Marc Madiot told the press: "I have been coming to Plouay for 20 years as a rider and a team manager and have been on the podium several times but never won. It is a classic victory for us."

Madiot was not as happy earlier. With 5 laps to go, there was a large crash with Française des Jeux Jean-Cyril Robin and Richard Virenque being injured. With 2 laps to go, Belgian Frank Vandenbroucke attacked with Estonian Lauri Aus and Italian Giuliano Figueras. But it was the work of Italian Sergio Barbero that kept the break in check. Then Vandenbroucke attacked again and was joined by Barbero. They built a 9 second lead as they passed under the 1 kms to go for that lap banner. The peloton started getting serious on the last lap. Marcus Zberg was the final attacker with Mengin on his wheel. Zberg started the sprint too far out and this gave Mengin the last opportunity to pass him.

Plouay, 15 laps for 209 kms:

AVS: 43.785 km/h

 1. Christophe Mengin (Fra) La Française des Jeux    4.46.26
 2. Markus Zberg (Sch) Rabobank
 3. Sergei Ivanov (Rus) TVM-Farm Frites 		0.06
 4. Alberto Elli (Ita) Telekom 				0.06
 5. Lauri Aus (Est) Casino 				0.06
 6. Andrei Tchmil (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 			0.06
 7. Paolo Bettini (Ita) Mapei-Quick Step 		0.06
 8. Cédric Vasseur (Fra) Crédit Agricole 		0.06
 9. Franck Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis 			0.06
10. Geert Verheyen (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 		0.06
11. Niki Aebersold (Sch) Rabobank 			0.06
12. Mirko Celestino (Ita) Team Polti 			0.06
13. Vladimir Duma (Ukr) Navigare-Gaerne		 	0.06
14. Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Casino 				0.06
15. Gianluca Valoti (Ita) Team Polti 			0.06
16. Paolo Bossoni (Ita) Cantina Tollo-Alexia 		0.06
17. Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Crédit Agricole 		0.06
18. Chris Peers (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar 			0.06
19. Fausto Dotti (Ita) Liquigas 			0.06
20. Oscar Pozzi (Ita) Riso Scotti 			0.06

Past Winners

1931    Francois Fave (Fra)
1932    Philippe Bono (Fra)
1933    Philippe Bono (Fra)
1934    Lucien Tulot (Fra)
1935    Jean Le Dily (Fra)
1936    Pierre Cogan (Fra)
1937    Jean-Marie Goasmat (Fra)
1938    Pierre Cloarec (Fra)
1945    Eloi Tassin (Fra)
1946    Ange Le Strat (Fra)
1947    Raymond Louviot (Fra)
1948    Eloi Tassin (Fra)
1949    Armand Audaire (Fra)
1950    Armand Audaire (Fra)
1951    Emile Guerinel (Fra)
1952    Emile Guerinel (Fra)
1953    Serge Blusson (Fra)
1954    Ugo Anzile (Fra)
1955    Jean Petitjean (Fra)
1956    Valentin Huot (Fra)
1957    Isaak Vitre (Fra)
1958    Jean Gainche (Fra)
1959    Emmanuel Crenn (Fra)
1960    Hubert Ferrer (Fra)
1961    Fernand Picot (Fra)
1962    Jean Gainche (Fra)
1963    Fernand Picot (Fra)
1964    Jean Bourles (Fra)
1965    Francois Goasduff (Fra)
1966    Claude Mazeaud (Fra)
1967    Francois Hamon (Fra)
1968    Jean Jourdan (Fra)
1969    Jean Jourdan (Fra)
1970    Jean Marcarini (Fra)
1971    Jean-Pierre Danguillaume (Fra)
1972    Robert Bouloux (Fra)
1973    Jean-Claude Largeau (Fra)
1974    Raymond Martin (Fra)
1975    Cyrille Guimard (Fra)
1976    Jacques Bossis (Fra)
1977    Jacques Bossis (Fra)
1978    Pierre-Raym. Villemiane (Fra)
1979    Fritz Pirard (Ned)
1980    Patrick Friou (Fra)
1981    Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (Fra)
1982    Francis Castaing (Fra)
1983    Pierre Bazzo (Fra)
1984    Sean Kelly (Ire)
1985    Eric Guyot (Fra)
1986    Martial Gayant (Fra)
1987    Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (Fra)
1988    Luc Leblanc (Fra)
1989    Jean-Claude Colotti (Fra)
1990    Bruno Cornillet (Fra)
1991    Armand De las Cuevas (Fra)
1992    Ronan Pensec (Fra)
1993    Thierry Claveyrolat (Fra)
1994    Andrej Tchmil (Mol)
1995    Rolf Jaermann (Swi)
1996    Frank Vandenbroucke (Bel)
1997    Andrea Ferrigato (Ita)
1998	Pascal Herve (Fra) Festina
Past winners are from Mario Stiehl, Berlin