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Boucles de la Mayenne - 2.6
France, June 17-20, 2004
Prologue - June 17: Laval ITT, 6.5km
Thomas Dekker ready-in-waiting
By Jean-François Quénet/www.velomania.net in Laval
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Just like one year before, Thomas Dekker dominated the prologue of the Boucles de la Mayenne in the charming city of Laval, the home-town of Jacky Durand. Rabobank did the usual 1-2, this time with Paris-Roubaix U-23 winner Koen de Kort who rode faster than former pro Stéphane Barthe by only three hundredths of a second. Barthe is considered a true specialist since he came second in last year's French championship for time trial, but he couldn't secure a pro contract for the 2004 season after riding for Casino, US Postal and Oktos.
World champion Luke Roberts finished close as well, placing himself in fourth place, ahead of up and coming Frenchman Cyril Lemoine of Crédit Agricole espoirs who had the best time for a while.
"It was kind of an easy win, Dekker commented, but my time is six seconds higher than last year, mostly because of the wind." In 2003, Rabobank didn't manage to hold onto the yellow jersey until the end, with Swiss Sandro Güttinger winning overall. It looks like Dekker will not put a maximum effort in keeping the lead in the coming stages. "This race isn't very important for me, he said. I focus more on my Olympic selection that now depends on the performance Erik Dekker will set at the prologue of the Tour de France." The two Dekkers will be team-mates next year but the young phenomenon is ready to take over. Aged just 20, he won the Dutch time trial championship last week and doesn't wish to lose time in the U-23 category.
Photography
Images by Jean-François Quénet/www.velomania.net
- The podium - Romain Genter, Koen de Kort, Thomas Dekker and Stéphane Barthe shared the honours after the prologue.
- One more yellow jersey for Thomas Dekker, who has the Olympics on his mind.
Images by Régis Garnier/www.velofotopro.fr.st
- Ben Berden (Team Deschacht) eats before the prologue.
- Credit Agricole greet the Rabobank boys.
- Cyclo-cross world champion Bart Wellens is presented with his team.
- Olivier Asmaker was a team-mate of Laurent Jalabert in 2001 and 2002.
- Bart Wellens (Spaar Select) at the start.
- Marc de Maar (Rabobank) warms up.
- Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) finished second.
- Stéphane Barthe (US Montauban) was third.
- Koen de Kort (Rabobank) is the winner again!
Results
1 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 8.09 2 Koen de Kort (Ned) Rabobank 0.07 3 Stéphane Barthe (Fra) US Montauban 4 Luke Roberts (Aus) ComNet 0.08 5 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Crédit Agricole espoirs 0.13 6 Said Haddou (Fra) Equipe de France poursuite 0.14 7 Julien Mazet (Fra) Crédit Agricole espoirs 0.17 8 Dariusz Strole (Ltu) Deschacht-Eddy Merckx 9 Christophe Thébault (Fra) Jean Floc'h 10 Sébastien Duret (Fra) Jean Floc'h 11 Marc de Maar (Ned) Rabobank 0.19 12 Robert Retschke (Ger) ComNet 0.20 13 Jonathan Dayus (Fra) Team U Nantes-Atlantique 0.23 14 Cédric Coutouly (Fra) Agritubel 15 Antoine Dalibard (Fra) Jean Floc'h 0.24 16 Theo Eltink (Ned) Rabobank 0.25 17 William Bonnet (Fra) Equipe de France poursuite 0.26 18 Romain Genter (Fra) SC Sarreguemines 19 Stefan Cohnen (Ned) ComNet 20 Tom Stubbe (Bel) Deschacht-Eddy Merckx 21 Anthony Morin (Fra) SC Sarreguemines 0.27 22 Guillaume Le Dinahet (Fra) Maître Jacques-Côtes d'Armor 23 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Team U Nantes-Atlantique 0.29 24 Marc Staelen (Fra) Agritubel 25 Christophe Guillome (Fra) CC Nogent-sur-Oise 0.30 26 Stéphane Cougé (Fra) CG Orléans 27 Sven Nijs (Ned) Rabobank 28 Jean-Luc Delpech (Fra) Jean Floc'h 29 David Arassus (Fra) Crédit Agricole espoirs 30 Kilian Patour (Fra) Crédit Agricole espoirs 0.31
