Coquard beats Vivani to Route d’Occitanie stage one win

Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels – Vital Concept) won the opening stage of the Route d’Occitanie in a crash-marred finale.

The Frenchman was faster than Elia Viviani (Cofidis) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain McLaren), and takes the leader’s jersey in the four-day race in southeastern France.

“It was a difficult finish,” said Coquard. “Jens Debusschere got me into a very good position, and then just before the last bend Colbrelli and Viviani went through on my inside. Colbrelli opened his sprint right away and I got onto Viviani’s wheel. Colbrelli faded about 50 metres from the line and I just managed to get past Elia before the line.

Chris Froome finished almost a minute behind the leading pack. The British rider is making a comeback after a horrible injury and a long recovery following a crash in last year’s Criterium du Dauphine.

Route d’Occitanie 2020 – stage 1 results (Saint-Affrique – Cazouls-lès-Béziers):

1 Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels – Vital Concept)

4:35:00

2 Elia Viviani (Cofidis)

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3 Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain McLaren)

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4 Andrea Pasqualon (Circus – Wanty Gobert)

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5 Clement Venturini (AG2R La Mondiale)

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6 Egan Bernal (Team Ineos)

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7 Josef Černý (CCC)

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8 Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale)

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9 Anthony Maldonado (St Michel – Auber 93)

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10 Nick Van der Lijke (Riwal Readynez)

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Route d’Occitanie 2020 – general classification after stage 1:

1 Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels – Vital Concept)

4:34:50

2 Elia Viviani (Cofidis)

+04”

3 Lilian Calmejane (Total Direct Energie)

+05”

4 Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain McLaren)

+06”

5 Andreas Kron (Riwal Readynez)

+09”

6 Andrea Pasqualon (Circus – Wanty Gobert)

+10”

7 Clement Venturini (AG2R La Mondiale)

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8 Egan Bernal (Team Ineos)

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9 Josef Černý (CCC)

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10 Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale)

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