Cycling: Dordogne riders dominated on their territory

Around sixty riders set off for a total of 92.4 km this Sunday in Atur, on a demanding circuit, for this Elite Open and Access event. After only a few kilometers, six of them set off and quickly took a lead of around forty seconds: Antoine Verhaeghe (Team U LH), Thomas Carreau (CC Périgueux Dordogne), Maxime Fernandez (A.Po. Gé), Jamy Fralin (Corrèze Suchet), Louis Marcenac and Lucas Hurpy (Montauban C82). They then received support from Morgann Francon (Hexagone Corbas Lyon Métropole) and Maël Peyencet (Sprinter Club du Périgord).

Another ten riders joined them a few kilometers later, forming a large breakaway of around twenty contenders who would fight for victory in front of a peloton unable to come back. With 28 km to go, Morgann Francon, insatiable, went on the offensive again. Only Antonin Boissière (SC du Périgord), Louis Marcenac and Lilian Langella (La Couronne) managed to catch up with him. This quartet together near the finish line and, starting from a long way back, Morgann Francon from Lyon won.

A dominant girl among those under 15

Previously, the youngsters had competed on the Souvenir Mélany-Boivineau, at the same venue. There were only about ten of them in the under-15s for around thirty kilometers over which the selection process took place quickly. Melle Vadagnin (Libourne) and Noé Lemoine (Gradignan) went out to play for victory and the Libournaise succeeded in her sprint to reclaim the bouquet from under the noses of her male counterparts.

The peloton was larger in the under-17 category, with around thirty entrants. After the first grouping, Maxence Chabot (Ambazac), Breton Corentin Gourvennec (Châteaulin), and Florian Le Morvan (A.Po. Gé) slipped away and increased their lead as the kilometers went by. The young Charentais was ultimately the strongest, for his seventh victory of the season.