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La Poly-Normande - 1.1
France, August 5, 2007
2006 Results Results Past winners
Vaugrenard comes of age
By Jean-François Quénet in Saint-Martin-de-Landelles
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One week after the Tour, there's usually a significant difference of strength between the riders who have done the Tour and those who have only been able to go to training camps. Benoît Vaugrenard has profited from his Tour de France form for claiming a well deserved win in Saint-Martin-de-Landelles, the famous little village of the Tour commentator Daniel Mangeas in Normandy.
One month after becoming the French champion for individual time trial, the Française des Jeux has claimed his second win in his five years long professional career, and it's actually the first one in a road race. "The French champion title has given me confidence," he said. "But it's a relief to put my arms up for the first time. I've waited for so long."
He rode a decent Tour de France. He was 10th of the prologue in London and attacked a few times. "He wasn't away at the right time on the right days, but what Sandy Casar managed to do [winning a stage - ed.], Benoît was able to as well," team manager Marc Madiot said. After the Tour, Vaugrenard took part in two crits and he won one of them in Camors close to his house in Brittany. Apart from that, he relaxed and caught up with some old mates. August 15, he's scheduled for racing against a horse on the race course of Le Lion d'Angers in western France and there should be a big crowd to support him.
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As many Tour de France riders, he didn't feel neither fresh neither motivated on the start line in Avranches but he was flying at the end of the race. "I wanted to attack only in the climb during the last lap," he explained. "But when we caught Levarlet and Bichot, everyone was dead."
Levarlet was the revelation of the race less than two weeks after coming second in the French championship for Under 23 behind future FDJ rider Jérôme Coppel. In his first year pro with Auber 93, he's not afraid of attacking from far. "That's the kind of cycling I like, he said. "I have believed I could win solo. I'm frustrated because of no win after so many efforts but I try to make myself noticed by the big teams."
How it unfolded
The teams kind of agreed to take it easy at the start in Avranches but they rode hard as soon as they reached the 12.5-kilometre long circuit of St-Martin-de-Landelles to be covered ten times. Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) and Arnold Jeannesson (French national team) were the first men in action.
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After that, an interesting front group was formed when the duo was reinforced by Rémi Pauriol and Nicolas Roche (Crédit Agricole), Jérémy Roy (Française des Jeux), Nicolas Rousseau (Ag2r), Nicolas Hartmann (Cofidis), Vincent Jérôme (Bouygues Telecom), Mathieu Drujon and Guillaume Levarlet (Auber 93), also Sébastien Fournet-Fayard (French national team). But Jérôme missed a curve and crashed by himself, so Bouygues Telecom chased hard behind as they had nobody in the front anymore.
After four laps, another move comprised Jean-Marc Marino (Crédit Agricole), Benoît Vaugrenard (FDJ), Stéphane Augé and the leader of the French Cup Yann Huguet (Cofidis), Sébastien Duret (Bretagne-Armor Lux), and again Drujon, Levarlet and Vogondy. It became even more serious when they got caught by Lazslo Bodrogi (Crédit Agricole), Arnaud Gérard and Lilian Jégou (FDJ), Freddy Bichot (Agritubel), Julien Simon (French national team), Bert de Waele (Landbouwkrediet) and Grégory Habeaux (Jartazi).
They constantly remained under the threat of the peloton who never gave up before the final hour of the race. With four laps to go, Levarlet and Bichot attacked. With three laps to go, Levarlet dropped Bichot who suffered the heat badly. He stayed away solo for twenty kilometres and punctured after he got caught by Vaugrenard, Bodrogi, Roche, Duret, Buffaz and De Waele.
Vaugrenard attacked just before the bell lap. In 13 kilometres, he put almost one and half minute onto his chasers, Buffaz and De Waele, while Pauriol, running fourth, became the new leader of the French Cup.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Régis Garnier/www.velofotopro.com
- Team Cofidis with Michael Buffaz happy to ride again in France.
- Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel) and Guillaume Levarlet (Auber) in one of the many attacks of the day.
- Heaps of fans came out to watch on the streets of France.
- The bunch rolls across the 157 kilometre course.
- Guillaume Levarlet (Auber) was very strong.
- Anthony Geslin (Bouygues Telecom) lead the pursuit.
- Amael Moinard (Cofidis) put in a strong ride.
- French rider Benoît Vaugrenard (Française Des Jeux) alone at the head of the race with one lap to go.
- Benoît Vaugrenard (Française Des Jeux) takes victory.
- Podium (L-R): Mickaël Buffaz (Cofidis), Benoît Vaugrenard (Française Des Jeux), and Bert De Waele (Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner).
Results - 157 km
1 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 3.57.35 (39.6 km/h) 2 Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) Cofidis 1.28 3 Bert De Waele (Bel) Landbouwkrediet 1.31 4 Remi Pauriol (Fra) Credit Agricole 1.35 5 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Credit Agricole 6 Sébastien Duret (Fra) Bretagne Armor Lux 1.47 7 Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Auber 93 1.57 8 Nicolas Hartmann (Fra) Cofidis 2.01 9 Anthony Geslin (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 10 Laszlo Bodrogi (Hun) Credit Agricole 11 Gregory Habeaux (Bel) Jartazi Promo Fashion 12 Yann Pivois (Fra) Bretagne Armor Lux 13 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) Ag2r Prevoyance 14 Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 15 Janek Tombak (Est) Jartazi Promo Fashion 16 Frédéric Gabriel (Fra) Landbouwkrediet 17 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Credit Agricole 18 Maxime Mederel (Fra) Auber 93 19 Hubert Dupont (Fra) Ag2r Prevoyance 20 Yann Huguet (Fra) Cofidis 21 Samuel Plouhinec (Fra) Agritubel 22 Freddy Bichot (Fra) Agritubel 23 Mickael Cherel (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 24 Mickael Larpe (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 25 Benoît Poilvet (Fra) Credit Agricole 26 Denis Robin (Fra) Agritubel 27 Paul Brousse (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 28 Jean-Charles Senac (Fra) Ag2r Prevoyance 29 Jean Mespoulede (Fra) Auber 93 30 Sven Nevens (Bel) Jartazi Promo Fashion 31 Hervé Duclos-Lassalle (Fra) Cofidis 32 Laurent Brochard (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 33 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 34 Jan Kuyckx (Bel) Landbouwkrediet 35 Antoine Dalibard (Fra) Bretagne Armor Lux 36 Franck Renier (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 37 Alexandre Lemaire (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 38 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) Roubaix Lille Metropole 39 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Credit Agricole 40 Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Auber 93 41 Mikel Gaztanaga Spa Agritubel 42 Jean-Marc Marino (Fra) Credit Agricole 43 Jérémy Roy (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 44 Niels Brouzes (Fra) Auber 93 45 Nicolas Crosbie (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 46 Blaise Sonnery (Fra) Ag2r Prevoyance 47 Florian Morizot (Fra) Auber 93 48 Frederic Guesdon (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 49 Noan Lelarge (Fra) Bretagne Armor Lux 50 Cyrille Monnerais (Fra) Francaise des Jeux 51 David Lelay (Fra) Bretagne Armor Lux 52 Cédric Pineau (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 53 Yoann Bagot (Fra) Credit Agricole 54 Nicolas Rousseau (Fra) Ag2r Prevoyance 55 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Agritubel 56 Stéphane Petilleau (Fra) Bretagne Armor Lux 57 Thomas Brigaud (Fra) 58 Julien Simon (Fra) 59 Philipp Deignan (Irl) Ag2r Prevoyance 60 Renaud Dion (Fra) Ag2r Prevoyance 61 Arnaud Lesvenan (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 62 Frédéric Finot (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 63 Christopher Sutton (Aus) Cofidis
French cup standings after round 12 1 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Crédit Agricole 102 pts 2 Yann Huguet (Fra) Cofidis 95 3 Benoît Vaugrenard (Fra) Française Des Jeux 93 4 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Ag2r Prévoyance 85 4 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Française Des Jeux 85 6 Mikel Gaztañaga Echeverria (Spa) Agritubel 73 7 Saïd Haddou (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 70 7 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Crédit Agricole 70 9 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole 65 10 Stéphane Augé (Fra) Cofidis 62 Teams 1 Crédit Agricole 97 pts 2 Cofidis 93 3 Bouygues Telecom 82 4 Bretagne-Armor Lux 78 5 Auber 93 73
Past Winners
2006 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole 157 km in 3.39.45 2005 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Française des Jeux 2004 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Brioches la Boulangère 2003 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) La Boulangère
