30th Tour de Vendée - 1.3

France, April 29, 2001

2000 Results    Results    Past winners

Victory to Didier Rous

By Daniel Schamps

Bonjour's Didier Rous has won the 30th edition of the Tour de Vendée, the 8th round of the Coupe de France. Benoît Salmon (Ag2r) and Patrice Halgand (Jean Delatour) took second and third in the 206 kilometre semi-classic.

After a frantic first two-hour period (several attempts but for never more than 2-3 km), a quartet containing Rous, with Emmanuel Magnien (Française des Jeux), Sylvain Chavanel (Bonjour) and Benoît Salmon (Ag2r) got clear after 90 km. However, Magnien and Chavanel quickly dropped back.

Salmon and Rous remained together for 100 km with a lead between 1 and 3 minutes. In the closing stages of the race Vogondy (FDJ) and Capitan (Relax) counter-attacked but they were unable to fill the gap, and both were caught at the beginning of the last 4.2 km lap in La Roche-sur-Yon by the bunch, led at full speed by the Cantina Tollo team.

With 1.5 km to go, Rous attacked and gained 20 m on Salmon, who was never able to close. Behind them, Noval (Relax) and Halgand (who tried to place himself well in the Coupe de France overall classification) broke away with 3 km to go. Halgand was able to remain ten metres clear ahead of the bunch on the finish line. Not Noval, who was caught by the bunch with 50 m to go and finished in around 25-30th place.

Last year's winner, Jaan Kirsipuu (Ag2r) finished 7th, and holds the lead in the Coupe de France after 8 rounds.

Results - 206 km

1 Didier Rous (Fra) Bonjour                 4.51.32 (42.479 km/h)
2 Benoît Salmon (Fra) Ag2R Prevoyance          0.02
3 Patrice Halgand (Fra) Jean Delatour          0.54
4 Ludovic Capelle (Bel) Ag2R Prevoyance        0.56
5 Emmanuel Magnien (Fra) La Francaise Des Jeux
6 Damien Nazon (Fra) Bonjour
7 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2R Prevoyance                         
8 Martin Garrido (Arg) Colchon Relax-Fuenlabrada
9 Miguel Angel Martin Perdiguero (Spa) Cantina Tollo
10 Federico Colonna (Ita) Cantina Tollo

Coupe de France after 8 rounds

1 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2r-Prevoyance         126 pts
2 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Jean Delatour        118 
3 Florent Brard (Fra) Festina                  94 
4 Stéphane Heulot (Fra) Bigmat-Auber 93        69 
5 Didier Rous (Fra) Bonjour                    62 

Teams

1 Jean Delatour                    59 pts
2 Ag2r-Prevoyance                  52 
3 Française des Jeux               49 
4 Bonjour                          45 
5 Bigmat                           44 

Past Winners

2000 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2R-Prevoyance 200.2 kms in 4.45.16
1999 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est) Casino 204 kms in 4.52.05
1998 Marco di Renzo (Ita) Cantina-Tollo 204 kms in 4.56.54
1997 Jaan Kirsipuu (Est)
1996 Laurent Desbiens (Fra)
1995 Mario De Clercq (Bel)
1994 Patrick Van Roosbroeck (Bel)
1993 Dimitry Zhdanov (Rus)
1992 Bruno Cornillet (Fra)
1991 Fabrice Naessens (Bel)
1990 Francois Lemarchand (Fra)
1989 Laurent Bezault (Fra)
1988 Alberto Leanizbarrutia (Spa)
1987 Jean-Claude Colotti (Fra)
1986 Francis Castaing (Fra)
1985 Michel Bibillet (Fra)
1984 Claude Moreau (Fra)
1983 Pierre Bazzo (Fra)
1982 Serge Beucherie (Fra)
1981 Bernard Bourreau (Fra)
1980 Jean-René Bernaudeau (Fra)

Past winners by Mario Stiehl, Berlin