42nd Prix de Lillers - Souvenir Bruno Comini - 1.2

Lillers, France, March 4, 2006

2005 Results Results Past winners

Eichler appears at the right time

By Stephane David

Nearly invisible all day long, German Markus Eichler (Regiostrom-Senges) finally crossed the finish line first after an epic counter-attack in the GP de Lillers.

With 5 km to go, there were still three riders ahead: Ex-pro Médéric Clain (VC Roubaix), 20 year-old Anthony Jaunet (CC Nogent/Oise) and Canadian champion François Parisien. All three remained from a breakaway born after 20 km and including also Steven Thys (Jartazi), Mart van Zandbeek (Flanders), Maint Berkenbosch (Regiostrom-Senges), Fabien Bacquet (CC Nogent/Oise), Gilles Devillers (ESEG Douai), Matthias Friedemann (Team Lamonta), Tim Meeusen (Pictoflex) and Soren Nissen (Team Differdange).

The trio was struggling in the front of the race for more than 40 kilometres, but a counter-attack of 18 riders and also the main bunch was going closer and closer. Markus Eichler then decided to put himself into action. He first went out from the group of 18, caught the breakaway, rested for 2 km, and finally put a decisive attack in with 2 km to go. That's how the 24 year-old German won his first ever UCI race after minor successes in his home country. Thanks to the work done by his team mates Maint Berkenbosch and Elnathan Heizmann, he could hide himself in the chasing group of 18 riders (including 5 Rabobank riders) and be so fresh and so strong for the races final kilometres...

Results - 172 km

1 Markus Eichler (Ger) Team Regiostrom Senges               4.07.52
2 Anthony Jaunet (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise                      0.13
3 Médéric Clain (Fra) V.C. Roubaix
4 François Parisien (Can) Team TIAA CREF                       0.17
5 Romain Feilleu (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise                      0.24
6 Carlo Meneghetti (Fra) C.C. Cambrai MBK                      0.26
7 Olegs Melehs (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga                         0.31
8 Denis Flahaut (Bel) Flanders                                 0.35
9 Normunds Lasis (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga
10 Kévin Van Der Slagmolen (Bel) Jartazi 7 Mobile
11 Sébastien Six (Fra) Multisport Cycling Team
12 Evgeny Popov (Rus) Rabobank Continental
13 Gerald Lavallard (Fra) E.S.E.G. Douai
14 Steven Deschamps (Bel) Profel Ziegler
15 Tim Meeusen (Bel) Pictoflex Bikeland
16 Sebastian Frey (Ger) Team Sparkasse
17 Dominique Rolin (Fra) V.C. Roubaix
18 Norbert Poels (Ned) Fondas P3Tranfer Team
19 Hakan Nilsson (Swe) Team Differdange
20 Grzegorz Gieracki (Pol) Multisport Cycling Team
21 Nate Mitchell (USA) Team TIAA CREF
22 Renaud Pioline (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise
23 Zakaria El Darabna (Bel) Pictoflex Bikeland
24 Rieno Stofferis (Bel) Sean Kelly Team
25 Julien Muselet (Fra) E.S.E.G. Douai
26 Aleksejs Saramotins (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga
27 Mart Van Zandbeek (Ned) Flanders
28 Chad Hartley (USA) Team TIAA CREF
29 Andrey Medyannikov (Kaz) Team Capec
30 Alexandre Urbain (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise
31 Eddy Forner (Ita) Team Differdange
32 Alexander Dymovskikh (Kaz) Team Capec
33 Steven Thys (Bel) Jartazi 7 Mobile
34 Stephen Loffer (Ger) Team Sparkasse
35 Matti Helminen (Fin) Profel Ziegler
36 Alexey Lyalko (Kaz) Team Capec
37 Jorgen Vercammen (Ned) Profel Ziegler
38 Kenny Van Der Schueren (Bel) Profel Ziegler
39 Fabien Bacquet (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise
40 Frederik Christiaens (Bel) Pictoflex Bikeland
41 Arnaud Lefebvre (Fra) France Police
42 Yoann Offredo (Fra) Pole France Wasquehal
43 Fredrik Johansson (Swe) Team Differdange
44 Timothy Cassidy (Irl) Sean Kelly Team
45 Alexander Gut (Ger) Team Lamonta
46 Mike Lange (USA) Team TIAA CREF
47 Timo Honstein (Ger) Team Sparkasse
48 Franck Dressler (Ger) Team Differdange
49 Yohan Cauquil (Fra) Jartazi 7 Mobile
50 Brice Feillu (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise
51 Adam Gawlik (Pol) Multisport Cycling Team
52 Geert Steurs (Bel) Pictoflex Bikeland
53 David Dupont (Fra) France Police
54 Frédéric Lubach (Fra) France Police
55 Steven Tronet (Fra) V.C. Roubaix
56 Matthias Friedemann (Ger) Team Lamonta
57 Ivaylo Gabrovski (Bul) Flanders
58 Paidi O'Brien (Irl) Sean Kelly Team
59 Sébastien Nuyttens (Fra) C.C. Cambrai MBK
60 Artis Roze (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga
61 Kevin Quarez (Fra) E.S.E.G. Douai
62 Kenny Van Braeckel (Bel) Profel Ziegler
63 Tom Flammang (Lux) Team Sparkasse
64 Jelle Van Groezen (Ned) Fondas P3Tranfer Team
65 Gaëtan Guernion (Fra) France Police
66 Stephan Parinussa (Ger) Team Sparkasse
67 Stuart Gillespie (USA) Team TIAA CREF
68 Ian Mac Gregor (USA) Team TIAA CREF
69 Maarten Mandemakers (Ned) Fondas P3Tranfer Team
70 Kai Reus (Ned) Rabobank Continental
71 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Continental
72 Jean-Pierre Guillin (Fra) France Police
73 Andrey Mizurov (Kaz) Team Capec
74 Kevin Lalouette (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise
75 Denis Lassalle (Fra) Pole France Wasquehal
76 Hya Chernyshov (Kaz) Team Capec
77 Morten Knudsen (Den) Team Differdange
78 Grégorz Kwiatkowski (Pol) V.C. Roubaix
79 Elnathan Heizmann (Ger) Team Regiostrom Senges
80 Gusts Eisaks (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga
81 Franck Charrier (Fra) CC Nogent sur Oise
82 Dimitry Kozonchuk (Rus) Rabobank Continental
83 Geoffrey Deresmes (Fra) E.S.E.G. Douai
84 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Continental
85 Aziz Immouni (Fra) E.S.E.G. Douai
86 Hannes Blank (Ger) Team Lamonta
87 Kalvis Eisaks (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga
88 Dan Bowman (USA) Team TIAA CREF
89 Soren Nissen (Den) Team Differdange
90 Kristofer Racenajs (Lat) Rietumu Bank Riga
91 William Walker (Aus) Rabobank Continental
92 Maint Berkenbosch (Ned) Team Regiostrom Senges
93 Hamish Haynes (GBr) Jartazi 7 Mobile
94 Jean Zen (Fra) V.C. Roubaix
95 Johnny Hoogerland (Bel) Jartazi 7 Mobile

Past winners

2005 Johan Coenen (Bel) MrBookmaker.com - SportsTech 153 kms in 3.36.21 (42.431 km/h)
2004 Benny de Schrooder (Bel) Vlaanderen-T Interim   175 kms in 4.08.53 (42.188 km/h)
2003 Damien Nazon (Fra) Brioches la Boulangere       176 kms in 4.18.52
2002 Pascal Derame (Fra) Bonjour                     176 kms in 4.20.39
2001 Jean Michel Tessier (Fra) Cofidis               176 kms in 4.17.33 (41.002 km/h)
2000 Francis Moreau (Fra) Cofidis                    176 kms in 4.24.38 (39.904 km/h)
1999 Björnar Vestöl (Nor) Acceptcard                 176 kms in 4.06.52 (42.780 km/h)
1998 Gert Verheyen (Bel) Lotto-Mobistar              182 kms in 4.21.12
1997 Nico Eeckhout (Bel)
1996 Nico Eeckhout (Bel)
1995 Gregory Barbier (Fra)
1994 Jean-Francois Laffillé (Fra)
1993 Jeroen Blijlevens (Ned)
1992 Bennie Gosink (Ned)
1991 Jean-Francois Laffillé (Fra)
1990 Jean-Francois Laffillé (Fra)
1989 William Perard (GBr)
1988 Bruno Bonnet (Fra)
1987 Yvvan Frebert (Fra)
1983 Rudy Ansens (Ned)
1982 Jean-Philippe Pipart (Fra)
1981 Jean-Philippe Pipart (Fra)
1980 Philippe Miotti (Fra)
1979 Robert Millar (GBr)
1978 Olivier Vantielke (Bel)
1977 Claude Bavaye (Fra)
1976 Jacques Dutailly (Fra)
1975 Eddy Copmans (Bel)
1974 Alain Molmy (Fra)
1973 Klaus Peter Thaler (BRD)
1972 Claude Tollet (Fra)
1971 Guy Leleu (Fra)
1970 M Lefevbre (Fra)
1969 Robert Mintkiewicz (Fra)
1968 André Mollet (Fra)
1967 J Hochart (Fra)
1966 Patrick Cuny (Fra)
1965 Jean Reveillon (Fra)
1964 Claude Rigaut (Fra)

Past winners by Mario Stiehl, Berlin