GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise - Cat. 1.4

France, February 1, 2000

Start List     Results

Magnien takes opening race

The French riders were the most active in the race, once activity started after a calm first hour. French champion François Simon and Francisque Teyssier, representing the two new teams Bonjour and Jean Delatour, attacked and in the reaction the peloton was split with a main group of forty in front. Their compatriots Christoph Bassons, Bonjour, and Emmanuel Magnien, FDJ, got into a decisive break with Belgian Kurt van Lancker, Lotto, and Estonian Lauri Aus, Ag2R. Bassons attacked in the final kilometer but the others caught him and Magnien got an easy sprint victory. His team mate Fabrice Guidi took the bunch sprint and Lars Michaelsen was eighth so Francais des Jeux has started the European season in style.

The winner Emmanuel Magnien is one of the great talents in French cycling but was injured in a fall in the stormy ITT stage of the Tour of Germany June 2nd last year, and had most of his season spoiled (sound familiar?). His best result so far is probably the second place in Milan - San Remo after Erik Zabel in 1998.

Results

1 Emmanuel Magnien (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux               3.24.33 (39.75 km/h)
2 Lauri Aus (Est) Ag2R Prevoyance
3 Cristophe Bassons (Fra) Jean Delatour
4 Kurt Van Lanker (Bel) Lotto Adecco                         0.03
5 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Francaise Des Jeux                       0.56
6 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) Credit Agricole
7 Nico Mattan (Bel) Cofidis
8 Lars Michaelsen (Den) Francaise Des Jeux
9 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Festina
10 Dimitri Fofonov (Kaz) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
11 Francois Simon (Fra) Bonjour - Tourpargel
12 Pascal Chanteur (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance
13 Frederic Bessy (Fra) Jean Delatour
14 Gilles Bouvard (Fra) Jean Delatour
15 Christophe Agnolutto (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance
16 Zbigniew Spruch (Pol) Lampre Daikin
17 Alessandro Romio (Ita) Alexia Alluminio
18 Thierry Bourguignon (Fra) Big Mat Aubervilliers            1.01
19 Cyril Saugrain (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux                 1.1
20 Thierry Marichal (Bel) Lotto Adecco                        1.25
21 Robert Hunter (SAf) Lampre Daikin                          1.28
22 Sergey Belousov (Kaz) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
23 Charles Guilbert (Fra) Bonjour - Tourpargel
24 Steve De Wolf (Bel) Cofidis
25 Bruno Thibout (Fra) Jean Delatour
26 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Palmans
27 Marcel Gono (Aus) Credit Agricole
28 Olivier Trastour (Fra) Jean Delatour
29 David Deurieu (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance
30 Sebastien Joly (Fra) Bonjour - Tourpargel
31 Phillip Vereeke (Fra) Home Market Ville De Charleroi
32 Sébastien Laroche (Fra) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
33 Francisque Teyssier (Fra) Jean Delatour
34 Laurent Madouas (Fra) Festina
35 Raivis Belohvoscicks (Lat) Lampre Daikin                  11.12
36 Hans De Meester (Bel) Collstrop                           20.59
37 Paul Van Hyfte (Bel) Lotto Adecco
38 Takehiro Mizutani (Jap) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
39 Hans Redant (Bel) Collstrop
40 Giacomo Battistel (Ita) Alexia Alluminio
41 Gilles Maignan (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance
42 Médéric Clain (Fra) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
43 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Bonjour - Tourpargel
44 Franck Renier (Fra) Bonjour - Tourpargel
45 Sébastien Talabardon (Fra) Big Mat Aubervilliers
46 Aindaugas Goncaras (Lit) Saint Quentin Oktos
47 Chris Boardman (GBr) Credit Agricole
48 Christophe Gauthier (Fra) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
49 Piotr Zaradny (Pol) Team Mat Ceresit CCC
50 Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) Collstrop
51 Grwegorz Gronkiewicz (Pol) Team Mat Ceresit CCC
52 Massimo Sorice (Ita) Team Mat Ceresit CCC
53 Ole Sigurd Simensen (Lit) Saint Quentin Oktos
54 Geert Omloop (Bel) Collstrop
55 Maurizio Semprini (Ita) Alexia Alluminio
56 Stefano Della Santa (Ita) Alexia Alluminio
57 Alexandre Chouffe (Fra) Big Mat Aubervilliers
58 Sergei Yacovlev (Kaz) Besson Chaussures - Sunn
59 Franck Vandenbroucke (Bel) Cofidis
60 Arnaud Pretot (Fra) Cofidis
61 Jonathan Vaughters (USA) Credit Agricole
62 Dimitri Sedun (Pol) Team Mat Ceresit CCC
63 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Jean Delatour
64 Noan Lelarge (Fra) Bonjour - Tourpargel
65 Jehudi Schoonacker (Bel) Vlaanderen 2002
66 Jose Silloniz (Spa) Euskaltel Euskadi
67 Radoslaw Romanik (Pol) Team Mat Ceresit CCC
68 Alexander Botcharov (Rus) Ag2R Prevoyance
69 Unai Etxebarria (Spa) Euskaltel Euskadi
70 Stefan Ravelot (Fra) Saint Quentin Oktos
71 Gorka Gerrikagoitia (Spa) Euskaltel Euskadi
72 Mikel Artetxe (Spa) Euskaltel Euskadi
73 Luca Belluomini (Pol) Team Mat Ceresit CCC
74 Nicolas Fritsch (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux
75 Florent Brard (Fra) Festina
76 Andy Flickinger (Swi) Festina
77 Nico Eeckhout (Bel) Palmans
78 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux
79 Grzegorz Gwiadowski (Pol) Francaise Des Jeux
80 Peter Farazijn (Bel) Cofidis
81 Freddy Ravaleu (Fra) Saint Quentin Oktos
82 Angel Castresana (Spa) Euskaltel Euskadi

Results courtesy of UC Bessegeoise

Preview

By Tomas Nilsson

Tuesday, February 1 is the starting day for the European cycling season and traditionally the Grand Prix La Marseillaise is the first event at Gardanne north of Marseille, with the finish in Seyne-sur-Mer at the shore of the Mediterranean at Toulon. The distance is only 135.5 kms

Last year's winner, Frank Vandenbroucke (Cofidis) will try to defend his victory with Jo Planckaert (winner 1998) and last year's Etoile de Bessèges winner Daniel Lefevre on his team. They will have to work hard along the road, since sprinters like Jan Svorada, Lampre, Jaan Kirsipuu, AG2R Prévoyance, and young Jimmy Casper, Francaise des Jeux, are in the race. Svorada, who won the event in 1996, has Franco Ballerini on the team this time. French champion Francois Simon and Jean Cyril Robin would probably also like to take the first victory of 2000 for their new team Bonjour - Toupargel. The other new French team, Jean Delatour will also participate with the winner of 1997 Patrice Halgand.

Former world number one, Michele Bartoli (Mapei-Quick Step) from Italy is getting ready to race again after the knee injury he sustained on June 2 last year kept him away from competition for 8 months. He will line up in the GP La Marseillaise as well.

Crédit Agricole will have Chris Boardman starting his last season, with promising Norwegian Thor Hushovd who had a convincing pro debut as a stagiaire in Paris-Bourges last fall. Other teams are Italian Alexia Alluminio with Nicola Minali, another good sprinter, Belgian Lotto and Collstrop, French Big Mat Auber with Thierry Bourguignon, 37 years, and also teams from Spain and Poland.

Start list

COFIDIS						LAMPRE DAIKIN

1 David Lefèvre					11 Franco Ballerini
2 Jo Planckaert					12 Jan Svorada
3 Steve De Wolf					13 Marco Serpellini
4 Peter Farazijn				14 Zbigniew Spruch
5 Frank Vandenbroucke				15 Robert Hunter
6 Chris Peers					16 Johan Verstrepen
7 Nico Mattan					17 Marco Cannone
8 Arnaud Pretot					18 Juan Manuel Garate

AG2R PREVOYANCE					LOTTO ADECCO

21 Philippe Bordenave				31 Mario Aerts
22 Lauri Aus					32 Serge Baguet
23 David Delrieu				33 Koen Beeckman
24 Jaan Kirsipuu				34 Jacky Durand
25 Arturas Kasputis				35 Glenn D'Hollander
26 Laurent Estadieu				36 Thierry Marichal
27 Innar Mandoja				37 Fabien De Waele
28 Ludovic Turpin				38 Paul Van Hyfte

BESSON CHAUSSURES NIPPON HODO			TEAM MAT CERESIT CCC

41 Médéric Clain				51 Luca Belluomini
42 Nicolas Dumont				52 Grwegorz Gronkiewicz
43 Dimitri Fofonov				53 Artur Krasinski
44 Christophe Gauthier				54 Tomasz Kroczko
45 Sébastien Laroche				55 Radoslaw Romanik
46 Takehiro Mizutani				56 Massimo Sorice
47 Sergei Yacovlev				57 Krzysztof  Szafrancki
48 Lorenzo Di Silvestro				58 Piotr Zaradny

JEAN DELATOUR					ALEXIA ALLUMINIO

61 Patrice Halgand				71 Nicola Minali
62 Eddy Seigneur				72 Stefano Della Santa
63 Francisque Teyssier				73 Dario Andriotto
64 Jérôme Bernard				74 Giacomo Battistel
65 Cyril Dessel			 		75 Andrea Brognara
66 Grégory Lapalud				76 Oscar Cavagnis
67 Eddy Lembo					77 Alessandro Romio
68 Olivier Trastour				78 Maurizio Semprini

EUSKALTEL EUSKADI				CREDIT AGRICOLE

81 Mikel Artetxe				91 Chris Boardman
82 Peio Arreitunandia				92 Pierrick Fedrigo
83 Angel Castresana				93 Sébastien Hinault
84 Unai Etxebarria				94 Thor Hushovd
85 Gorka Gerrikagoitia				95 Christopher Jenner
86 Iban Mayo					96 Anthony Langella
87 Mikel Pradera				97 Franck Pencolé
88 Aitor Silloniz				98 Jonathan Vaughters

VLAANDEREN 2002					BIG MAT AUBERVILLIERS

101 Wilfried Cretskens				111 Ludovic Auger
102 Erwin Thijs					112 Thierry Bourguignon
103 Geoffrey Demeyere				113 Christophe Capelle
104 Bjorn Leukemans				114 Alexandre Chouffe
105 Wesley Theunis				115 Carlos Da Cruz
106 Jehudi Schoonacker				116 Jeremy Hunt
107 Wesley Huvaere				117 Dominique Rault
108 Stijn De Schoenmacker			118 Sébastien Talabardon

FRANCAISE DES JEUX				FESTINA

121 Sandy Casar					131 Florent Brard
122 Patrick D'Hont				132 Laurent Madouas
123 Nicolas Fritsch				133 Pascal Lino
124 Fabrizio Guidi				134 Michel Klinger
125 Cyril Saugrain				135 Christophe Moreau
126 Jean Patrick Nazon				136 Nicolas Reynaud
127 Nicolas Vogondy				137 Stéphane Auge
128 Jimmy Casper				138 Olivier Asmaker

COLLSTROP					BONJOUR

141 Dirk Aernouts				151 Jean Cyril Robin
142 Hans De Meester				152 François Simon
143 Roger Hammond				153 Olivier Perraudeau
144 Lorenzo Lapage				154 Noan Lelarge
145 Geert Omloop				155 Charles Guilbert
146 Hans Redant					156 Didier Rous
147 Bert Scheirlinchx				157 Franck Renier
148 Staf Scheirlinchx				158 Fabrice Salaison

PALMANS						SAINT QUENTIN OKTOS

161 Scott Sunderland				171 Linas Balciunas
162 Wim Feys					172 Stéphan Ravaleu
163 Geert Vanderaerden				173 Cédric Célarier
164 Nico Eeckhout				174 Saulius Ruskis
165 Hendrik Van Dyck				175 Mindaugas Goncaras
166 Karl Pauwels				176 Jean Michel Thilloy
167 Jurgen Van de Walle				177 Oleg Kozlitine
168 Styn De Peuter				178 Vincent Templier

HOME MARKET VILLE DE CHARLEROI

181 Ludovic Capelle
182 Marc Streel
183 Stéphane Hennebert
184 Renaud Boxus
185 Stéphane Cueff
186 Laurent Pillon
187 Vincent Cali
188 Grégory Barbier