Alexandre Geniez (FDJ) confirmed the good condition he had shown in the prologue when he won the first big mountain stage of the Tour de l’Ain. The Frenchman bridged the gap to a front trio on the descent from the final climb and managed to beat Florian Vachon (Bretagne), Theo Vimpere (Auber 93) and Pierre-Roger Latour (Ag2r) in the sprint to take both the stage win and the leader’s jersey.

 

The 2015 season has been a memorable one for Alexandre Geniez who has finally turned several years of disappointment around with several strong rides. After an illness-marred start to the year, he bounced bac with a victory in the Tro Bro Leon classic before he finished in the top 10 in the Giro d’Italia. Geniez was also brought in as a key domestique for Thibaut Pinot for the Tour de France where he impressed a lot by playing a big role in his captain’s win in Alpe d’Huez.

 

With two grand tours in his legs, few had expected him to shine in the Tour de l’Ain which marked his return to competition. However, an impressive prologue that saw him miss out on the win by just 0.06 second clearly showed that he was still on form and so he was ready to strike when the race entered the mountains in today’s third stage after two sprint stages.

 

Geniez fully confirmed his great condition as he managed to come away with the win after an impressive performance that had seen him been on top of things throughout the entire stage. In the end, he used his good descending skills to join a front trio and showed his fast sprint as he beat a fast rider lie Florian Vachon in the final dash to the line.

 

Geniez was always attentive as he was part of most of the key moves in a very fast and hectic first part of the stage where the GC riders came out to play. However, it was a resurgent Jean-Christophe Peraud who threatened to steal the show when he launched an impressive solo move.

 

Geniez used his teammate Arnaud Courteille to chase after the penultimate climb had whittled the peloton down to less than 20 riders. Hence, the grand tour star was back in the fold as they hit the final climb which summited just 7km from the finish.

 

Vachon, Theo Vimpere and Pierre-Roger Latour managed to escape on the ascent but Geniez refused to give up. With a strong acceleration over the top, he used his technical skills to join the break on the descent.

 

When it was clear that the break would survive, the game of cat and mouse started and Geniez was one of the riders to try an attack. However, in the end it came down to a sprint and here he managed to beat Vachon and Vimpere into the minor positions. The peloton reached the finish 9 seconds later.

 

With his good prologue, Geniez also takes the leader’s jersey and now has a 9-second advantage over Geniez while Latour is 10 seconds further adrift in third. He will try to defend his position in tomorrow’s final stage which is also the queen stage. The first part is lumpy with two category 3 and one category 2 climb before the serious climb starts in the second half. There are two category 1 climbs on the menu, with the latter summiting 20km from the finish and the final 10km are all gradually uphill.

 

The first mountain stage

After two stages for the sprinters, it was time for some serious climbing in stage 3 which brought the riders over 145.1km from Lagnieu to Bellignat. After 20 flat kilometres, it was up or down all day, with two category 1, two category 2 and one category 1 climb. Inside the final 30km, the riders would tackle the final category 1 climb before they crested the summit of the category 3 climb just 7km from the finish. The final part of the stage was made up of a short descent and a flat section.

 

Unlike in the first stages, it was not extremely hot at the start as the temperature was a pleasant 24km. All riders who finished yesterday’s stage were present as they rolled out for the neutral ride where Björn Thurau (Bora-Argon 18) suffered a puncture.

 

Lots of attacks

As soon as the flag was dropped, Elie Gesbert (France) took off and he was quickly joined by Stepan Astafayev (Vino 4ever). While Timo Roosen (LottoNL-Jumbo) stopped for a bike change, the pair built an advantage of 10 seconds before Jimmy Engoulvent (Europcar) and Rudy Kowalski (Roubaix) joined them.

 

That move was ultimately unsuccessful and instead Mike Teunissen (LottoNL-Jumbo), Fabien Doubey (FDJ), Engoulvent, Florian Guillou (Bretagne), Merijn Korevaar (Rabobank), Yoann Barbas (Armee), Yoann Paillot (Marseille) and Thibault Ferasse (France) escaped. Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora-Argon 18) joined them while they fought hard to maintain a 15-second advantage.

 

A dangerous group

Teunissen beat Barbas and Pöstlberger in the intermediate sprint and when they hit the bottom of the first climb, they had extended the gap to 28 seconds. However, here the peloton accelerated and so the break was caught.

 

This opened the door for new attacks while Julien Berard (Ag2r) and Henry Velasco (Ecuador) were the first riders to get dropped. It was a 13-rider group with Jean-Christophe Peraud, Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r), Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo), Alexandre Geniez (FDJ), Jerome Cousin (Europcar), Frederik Brun (Bretagne), Patrick Konrad (Bora-Argon 18), Sam Oomen (Rabobank), Barbas, Julien El Fares (Marseille), Zhandos Bizhigitov (Vino 4-Ever) and Fabien Grellier (France) that was the result of the aggressive riding.

 

Bouhanni is dropped

Peraud and Pozzovivo set a fast pace while riders were getting dropped from the peloton which was led by Roubai who distanced their sprinter Rudy Barbier, Alexis Bodiot (Arme) and Engoulvent. Moments later Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Marc Sarreau (FDJ) also lost contact.

 

Stephane Rossetto (Cofidis) tried to bridge the 10-second gap but before he made the junction, the group was caught. El Fares led Brice Feillu (Bretagne), Konrad, Arnaud Courteille (FDJ) and Nas Peters (France) over the top.

 

Another strong front group

The peloton split on the descent where a 20-rider group managed to get clear, followed by another group of 27 riders, after 14 riders had taken off. The two first groups merged and the group was reduced to 16 riders who led another 20-rider group by 28 seconds and the peloton by 1 minute as they entered the final 100km.

 

The front group was made up of Peraud, Kruijswijk, Twan Castelijns (LottoNL), Courteille, Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier (FDJ), Cyril Lemoine (Cofidis), Yuiya Arashiro, Antoine Duchesne (Europcar), Feillu, Brun, Cristiano Salerno (Bora-Argon 18), Oomen, Barbas, Pierre Gouault (Auber 93), El Fares and Peters. They managed to build an advantage of 45 seconds before the two chase groups merged.

 

The peloton splits

Cousin tried to bridge the gap and he managed to make the junction. Meanwhile, the peloton reduced the gap to 28 seconds before Pozzovivo and Gesberg also bridged the gap. When Geniez also made it across, ti was 20-rider group that had an advantage of 15 seconds.

 

Teunissen, William Barta (USA) and Cesare Benedetti (Bora-Argon 18) were among the many riders to get dropped while Cofidis kept the gap at around 20 seconds. As they climbed the second ascent, the escapees extended its advantage while Pierre-Luc Perichon, Jimmy Turgis, Guillou, Quentin Pacher and Dominque Rollin were among the many riders to get dropped.

 

Two riders get clear

Cousin was dropped from the front group which was 28 seconds ahead 1km from the top of the climb and it was El Fares who led Feillu, Salerno, Pozzovivo, Oomen and Brun over the line in the KOM sprint. However, Cofidis managed to bring them back on the descent and instead, Brun and Cousin took off.

 

The pair managed to build an advantage of 34 seconds as they entered the feed zone where an 11-rider chase group was quickly caught. Instead, it was Jean-Christophe Péraud (AG2R La Mondiale), Steven Kruijswijk, Nick Van der Lijke (Team Lotto NL-Jumbo), Arnaud Courteille, Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier, Kévin Reza (FDJ), Cyril Lemoine (Cofidis), Antoine Duchesne (Europcar), Fabrice Jeandesboz (Team Europcar), Cristiano Salerno (Bora-Argon 18), Yoann Barbas, Jérôme Mainard (Armée de Terre), Julien Guay, Guillaume Levarlet (Auber 93), Julien El Farès (Marseille), Zhandos Bizhigitov (Vino 4-Ever), Jérémy Maison and Guillaume Martin (France), Sam Oomen and Lennard Hofstede (Rabobank) who took off in pursuit.

 

Peraud joins the front group

As they finished the descent, the front duo were 20 seconds ahead of the chasers while the peloton was at 47 seconds. Florian Vachon (Bretagne) managed to join the chasers before Peraud and Duchesne bridged the gap to the front duo.

 

As they hit the next climb, the gaps were 25 and 50 seconds respectively and the chase group immediately exploded. Meanwhile, Duchesne was dropped from the front group.

 

A regrouping

All chasers were brought back, leaving just three escapees to press on with a 50-second advantage. Behind, the peloton exploded to pieces, wth Julien Loubet, Paillot, Arashiro and Yoann Bagir being among the riders to get distanced.

 

The gap was still only 55 seconds with 35km to go where Oomen rejoined the peloton after a puncure. More riders managed to get back on the descent before they hit the bottom of the final category 3 climb.

 

Peraud attacks

El Fares, Loubat, Doubey and Pöstlbeger were some of the first riders to get dropped from the peloton while Brun lost contact with the break. He was caught before Peraud attacked and immediately distanced Cousin.

 

The lone Europcar chaser was caught while Peraud managed to extend his gap from 37 to 47 seconds, Meanwhile, more riders were dropped from the peloton.

 

Peraud is caught

Feillu attacked and was joined by Pozzovivo and Theo Vimpere (Auber 93) while the peloton had been whittled down to just Pierr Roger Latour (Ag2r), Fabrice Jeandesboz (Europcar) Kruijswijk, van der Lijke, Courteille, Geniez, Vachon, Konrad, Jose Mendes, Oomen, Guay, Levarlet, Maison, Martin and Peters. Moments later, Peraud crested the summit followed by Feillu who dropped Pozzovivo and Vimpere, meaning that it was Martin and Latour who were third and fourth across the line.

 

Maison was dropped from the peloton which caught Fellu while Peruad still had a 28-second advantage. However, the Frenchman was fading and with 11km to go, he was brought back.

 

A trio takes off

As they hit the bottom of the final climb, Courteille was dropped while Latour attacked. He was countered by Mendes who was brought back when van der Lijke and Peraud lost contact.

 

Latour, Vachon and Vimpere managed to get an advantage. Peters briefly joined them but he was dropped before Vimpere led Latour and Vachon over the top.

 

Geniez attacked over the top and managed to join the front trio on the descent. With 3km to go, they had an advantage of 12 seconds before Geniez launched a first attac. Latour also gave it a go but it came down to a four-rider sprint where Geniez came out on top.