Tro-Bro Leon 2018 [FULL RACE]

April 15, 2018

Tro-Bro Leon 2018 – Lannilis – Lannilis : 203,2 km

Tro-Bro Léon (English: Tour of Léon, French: Tour du Léon) is a professional cycle road race held in Finistère, Brittany. The event was first run in 1984 as an amateur race, becoming a professional race since 2000. The race was established in 2005 as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour

Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) soloed to victory instead of gambling on his top end speed to claim his fourth victory of the season at the Tro Bro Leon. Winning the Breton event made it up for his lack of results at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix due to sickness after finishing a promising fourth in Gent-Wevelgem. The Frenchman fended off defending champion Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie) while Belgium’s Jelle Mannaerts (Tarteletto-Isorex-SH) conquered a courageous third place in horrendous conditions.

“It’s was a terribly hard race,” said Laporte of the Hell of the North Finistère (one of the nicknames of the Breton version of Paris-Roubaix). “I felt weak at one stage but my condition bounced back. I preferred to be alone at the front and give everything because it was my only way of winning. Had I not attacked, another guy would have done it. It’s an absolutely beautiful race and I’m delighted to win here. It’s wonderful!”

The race was animated by three riders, Kevin De Jonghe (Tarteletto-Isorex-SH), Gianni Marchand and Dennis Coenen (Cibel-Cebon) who got nine minutes lead. With 60km to go, Stijn Vandenbergh (AG2R La Mondiale), Benjamin Thomas (Groupama-FDJ), Maxime Daniel (Fortuneo-Samsic) and Marc Fournier (Vital Concept) came across to them before Gaudin and Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie), Ole Forfang (Joker-Icopal) and Laporte reinforced the front group. Breton riders Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ), Cyril Gautier (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Laurent Pichon (Fortuneo-Samsic) waited for their time to reach the head of the race but it was a surprising latecomer who rode away from them on the hardest gravelled road made slippery by the occasional pouring rain.

Norwegian champion Rasmus Tiller (Joker-Icopal), who is a sprinter in the making, soloed with 24km to go. He looked to be on his way to winning before he crashed in a curve on a paved road with 9km to go and was caught by a chasing group. He eventually held on to take a worthy fifth place at the age of 21.

Laporte decided to go by himself as there were 6km remaining. Gaudin, who was dropped from the front group on two occasions went after him but it was too late.

“I also had a moment of weakness like Laporte with 30km to go,” the Direct Energie rider said. “When I attacked behind him, I believed in my chances of winning until 50 metres to go.”

“It’s extraordinary for me to finish third here, I’m very happy,” echoed Mannaerts who was already an attacker in the Tour du Finistère the previous day. “It’s the best result I could get. I’m on a continental team. To win the sprint of my group is very big for me, considering the level of the riders who were with me. I didn’t know I could be this good.”

“Paris-Roubaix was a very important race for me and I was determined to make it up before the post-classics break,” Laporte said. “I had rage today. I love this race. It’s not part of the WorldTour but it’s just as hard all the way. It concludes my first part of the season on a high note with a fourth victory [after stages at the Etoile de Bessèges and the Tour La Provence].”

Results :

1 Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 5:12:07
2 Damien Gaudin (Fra) Direct Energie 0:00:04
3 Jelle Mannaerts (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex 0:00:16
4 Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
5 Rasmus Fossum Tiller (Nor) Joker Icopal
6 Olivier Le Gac (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7 Mikel Aristi Gardoki (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
8 Jonas Rickaert (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
9 Mauro Finetto (Ita) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
10 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
11 Zakkari Dempster (Aus) Israel Cycling Academy
12 Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
13 Laurent Pichon (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic 0:00:27
14 Cyril Gautier (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:41
15 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:22
16 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic 0:03:32
17 Jeremy Cabot (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole
18 Alo Jakin (Est) St Michel-Auber 93 0:03:58
19 Cyril Barthe (Fra) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias 0:04:11
20 Piet Allegaert (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
21 Jimmy Turgis (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
22 Gediminas Bagdonas (Ltu) AG2R La Mondiale 0:06:00
23 Tom Dernies (Bel) Roubaix Lille Metropole
24 Rudy Barbier (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
25 Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
26 Milan Menten (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
27 Loic Chetout (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits 0:06:02
28 Amaury Capiot (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise 0:06:46
29 Ion Ander Intsausti (Spa) Team Euskadi 0:06:55
30 Pierre Gouault (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole
31 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
32 Arnaud Gerard (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic 0:07:03
33 Benoit Jarrier (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic
34 Bryan Nauleau (Fra) Direct Energie
35 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Direct Energie
36 Thomas Boudat (Fra) Direct Energie 0:07:06
37 Damien Touze (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
38 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Tarteletto-Isorex 0:09:18
39 Benjamin Thomas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 0:11:09
40 Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
41 Ricardo Garcia (Spa) Team Euskadi
42 Perrig Quemeneur (Fra) Direct Energie
43 Gianni Marchand (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
44 Edwin Alcibiades Avila Vanegas (Col) Israel Cycling Academy
45 Aritz Bagues Kalparsoro (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
46 Maxime Farazijn (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
47 Jerome Mainard (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole 0:11:20
48 Dennis Coenen (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
49 Steven Tronet (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole
50 Wesley Kreder (Ned) Wanty-Groupe Gobert 0:12:26
51 Kenneth Van Rooy (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
52 Julien Morice (Fra) Vital Concept Club
53 Evaldas Siskevicius (Ltu) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
54 Yannick Martinez (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
55 Antoine Duchesne (Can) Groupama-FDJ
56 Carl Fredrik Hagen (Nor) Joker Icopal 0:13:26
57 Pierre Luc Perichon (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic
58 Ylber Sefa (Alb) Tarteletto-Isorex 0:17:56
DNF Carlos Eduardo Alzate Escobar (Col) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
DNF Gatis Smukulis (Lat) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Brenton Jones (Aus) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Iuri Filosi (Ita) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Dorian Godon (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Daniel Hoelgaard (Nor) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Julien Duval (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Julien Trarieux (Fra) Delko Marseille Provence KTM
DNF Alexis Gougeard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Axel Journiaux (Fra) Direct Energie
DNF Yohann Gene (Fra) Direct Energie
DNF Bruno Armirail (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Yoann Paillot (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
DNF Maxime Daniel (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic
DNF Lennert Teugels (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
DNF Herman Dahl (Nor) Joker Icopal
DNF Henrik Evensen (Nor) Joker Icopal
DNF Ole Forfang (Nor) Joker Icopal
DNF Bjørn Tore Hoem (Nor) Joker Icopal
DNF Kristoffer Skjerping (Nor) Joker Icopal
DNF Morgan Kneisky (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole
DNF Samuel Leroux (Fra) Roubaix Lille Metropole
DNF Nicolas Baldo (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
DNF Jimmy Janssens (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
DNF Flavien Maurelet (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
DNF Michiel Dieleman (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
DNF Camille Thominet (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
DNF Arne De Groote (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex
DNF Jelle Cant (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex
DNF Polychronis Tzortzakis (Gre) Tarteletto-Isorex
DNF Kevin De Jonghe (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex
DNF Egoitz Fernandez Ayarzaguena (Spa) Team Euskadi
DNF Gotzon Martin Sanz (Spa) Team Euskadi
DNF Marc Buades Ferriol (Spa) Team Euskadi
DNF Juan Antonio Lopez-Cozar Jaimez (Spa) Team Euskadi
DNF Peio Goikoetxea Goiogana (Spa) Team Euskadi
DNF Kevin Le Cunff (Fra) St Michel-Auber 93
DNF Travis McCabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
DNF Sergio Rodriguez Reche (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
DNF Enrique Sanz Unzue (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
DNF Hector Saez Benito (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
DNF Sondre Enger (Nor) Israel Cycling Academy
DNF Mihkel Räim (Est) Israel Cycling Academy
DNF Hamish Schreurs (NZl) Israel Cycling Academy
DNF Aviv Yechezkel (Isr) Israel Cycling Academy
DNF Christophe Noppe (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
DNF Florian Vachon (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic
DNF Alexander Cataford (Can) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
DNF Roy Jans (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
DNF Adrian Hegyvary (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling
DNF Ander Barrenetxea Uriarte (Spa) Euskadi Basque Country-Murias
DNF Erwann Corbel (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Corentin Ermenault (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Johan Le Bon (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Marc Fournier (Fra) Vital Concept Club
DNF Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Vital Concept Club
DNF Fabien Doubey (Fra) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
DNF Boris Vallee (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
DNF Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel) Wanty-Groupe Gobert
DNF Robby Cobbaert (Bel) Cibel-Cebon
DNF Daniel Eaton (USA) UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling