Cycling: Elia Viviani (Sky) won the one-day classic Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France today. The Italian celebrates his eighth win in less than three months. Second in West France was Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) ahead of Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Merida).
Tough one-day classic over almost 240 kilometers & 3.030 meters in altitude
Parallel to the Vuelta a España, the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France took place today. The one-day race - formerly known as GP Plouay - was held for the 51st time and took the drivers over 239,7 kilometres. The starting gun was fired in Plouay. And the finish line also took place here. A total of just over 3.000 vertical meters had to be completed. So the course was anything but a classic profile for the sprinters. On the contrary: After around 140 kilometers, the dreaded Mur de Bretagne had to be crossed for the second time. After that, things got rather wavy. With four kilometers to go, we went up the Cote Ty Marrec - the perfect opportunity for attacks. Last year, Oliver Naesen triumphed for Team IAM.
Elia Viviani wins comfortably - Sunweb's Michael Matthews fifth
Also today there should be a lot of attacks at the Bretagne Classic. But due to the large number of sprinters in the contingent, all fugitives were caught again until the end. In the end, there was actually a classic mass sprint at the start and finish point of Plouay. In this, the Italian Elia Viviani prevailed very confidently. Second-placed Norwegian Alexander Kristoff was at a disadvantage, as was third-placed Italian Sonny Colbrelli. Michael Matthews from the German team Sunweb started this race as a favorite and finished fifth.
Serial winner Viviani!
With this win, Elia Viviani continues his winning streak. In the past few weeks he has already won the Cyclassics Hamburg in Germany. He will no longer drive for Team Sky in the coming season. Understandable, because the British team did not nominate him for any of the three Grand Tours. He could succeed Marcel Kittel in the Quick-Step Floors team, but he already has a strong opponent there in Fernando Gaviria.
Result of the 51st Bretagne Classic – Ouest-France
| PLATZ | Driver | Country | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Elia Viviani | Italian | Sky | |
| 2. | alexander kristoff | Norway | Katusha Alpecin | |
| 3. | Sonny Colbrelli | Italian | Bahrain-Merida | |
| 4. | Sep Vanmarcke | Belgium | Cannondale Drapac | |
| 5. | Michael Matthews | Australia | Sunweb | |
| 6. | Ruben Gurreiro | Portugal | Trek-Segafredo | |
| 7. | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Norway | Dimension Data | |
| 8. | Bouhanni born | France | Cofidis | |
| 9. | Simone Consonni | Italian | UAE | |
| 10. | greg van avermaet | Belgium | BMC |