Mi-Aout Bretonne #2 - Prix des Blés d'Or - 1.5

Guilliers, France, August 2, 2002

Results

First pro win for the "French Popovych"

By Jean-François Quénet in Guilliers

Yuriy Krivtsov of the Jean Delatour team took his first pro win in the second day of the Mi-Août Bretonne in Guilliers, just a few kilometres away from Ménéac where Baden Cooke had his first pro win in Europe in the same event two years ago. Krivtsov, 23, took part in the first breakaway of the day after 12km. He later attacked with the current number 1 amateur French rider Christophe Thébault of Jean Floc'h despite the 120 km remaining in the race.

"I attacked him three times because I wanted to finish alone," Krivtsov commented, "but he always came across. He never tried to attack me though and I easily took him in the sprint. I quite happy with this win because we rode flat out all the time."

Krivtsov is known as a time-triallist - he recently came 4th in the Ukrainian championship, beating his old rival and friend Yaroslav Popovych who is Ernesto Colnago's protege these days. He was 3rd in the Bayern Rundfahrt in May behind Michael Rich and Jens Voigt.

"He's a champion in the making and an excellent team worker", said his directeur sportif Michel Gros who found him one year ago in the Nantes 44 Cyclisme French club.

He was afraid to have him starting the Tour de France as a neo-pro whereas another of his old rivals Jérôme Pineau of Bonjour has showed it was possible. So Krivtsov's high ambition for the end his first season is the Tour de l'Avenir.

Results - 183 km

1 Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukr) Jean Delatour             4.06.53 (44.474 km/h)
2 Christophe Thebault (Fra) Jean Floc'h             0.02
3 Lilian Jegou (Fra) Bretagne U Plouvien            0.21
4 Frédéric Lecrosnier (Fra) Jean Floc'h
5 Frédéric Finot (Fra) Jean Delatour
6 Eric Berthou (Fra) Jean Floc'h
7 Nicolas Meret (Fra) France
8 Jean-François Jegou (Fra) Bretagne U Plouvien
9 Stéphane Couge (Fra) Jean Floc'h                  0.30
10 Joona Laukka (Fin) Jean Delatour
11 Guillaume Judas (Fra) Jean Floc'h
12 Fabien Fleury (Fra) Jean Floc'h
13 Mickaël Buffaz (Fra) France
14 Yann Pivois (Fra) UC Chateauroux
15 David Breard (Fra) France
16 Dominique Rault (Fra) VC Dinan
17 Jean-Philippe Yon (Fra) VC Rouen
18 Alexandre Urbain (Fra) Jean Floc'h
19 Charles Guilbert (Fra) Bonjour
20 Jan Jespersen (Den) Glud & Marstrand
21 Yann Vigouroux (Fra) VC Dinan
22 Marc Feipeler (Fra) VC Dinan
23 Marc Nielsen (Den) Glud & Marstrand              0.41
24 Morten Pedersen (Den) Glud & Marstrand
25 Franck Bigaud (Fra) UC Chateauroux               2.15
26 Lénaïc Olivier (Fra) Jean Delatour               2.48
27 Brian Larsen (Den) Glud & Marstrand            
28 Virgile Palisse (Fra) UC Chateauroux           
29 Guillaume Auger (Fra) Big Mat-Auber 93         
30 Julien Kerouanton (Fra) Bretagne U Plouvien    
31 Dany Caprais (Fra) VC Rouen                    
32 Ludovic Martin (Fra) Crédit Agricole           

Courtesy of velomania.net