Joey Rosskopf (BMC) confirmed the excellent form he showed at the Tour of Utah when he claimed his first professional victory in impressive fashion on a surprisingly hard first stage of the Tour du Limousin. Having made it into a strong 13-rider group after a hectic start, he emerged as the fastest of the six survivors, holding Hubert Dupont (Ag2r) and Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) off in the sprint. With the win, Rosskopf also became the first leader of the race.

 

We have gathered a few reactions.

 

Joey Rosskopf: It’s a little like redemption

It was the perfect opening to Tour du Limousin for BMC Racing Team as Joey Rosskopf took the win, and claimed the first leader’s jersey of the race, following a fast and furious finale to Stage 1.

 

As soon as the race hit kilometer zero attacks started to fly off the front of the peloton, including on from TJ Eisenhart, but they were all swiftly pulled back by the peloton. 

 

After around 40 kilometers out on the road, Rosskopf made a strong move to distance himself from the peloton and was able to successfully breakaway with two other riders.

 

The group grew in size as they race reached the halfway point with 13 riders working together for most of the day to hold a maximum lead of 2 minutes 30 seconds. 

 

Despite the peloton setting a storming pace behind them, six remaining breakaway riders were able to stay in front and go all the way to the line with Rosskopf eventually proving the strongest on the day. 

 

“I felt awesome, in fact I couldn’t quite believe it right away but I’m super happy,” Rosskopf said. “There hasn’t been many races in the last year or two where I have been involved in a sprint or in a breakaway that made it to the line so I felt a little rusty. It definitely helped that we saw the line before the actual finish so I knew what to expect as I was really able to give it my all in the sprint.”

 

“I definitely didn’t know that I would be the strongest rider in the breakaway today. I came into the race a little unsure how I had recovered from Utah. At the beginning of the race it was super aggressive and we knew we needed someone in the break because it was going to be hard to control this course. For the first half of the race in the break I was definitely in survival mode. Then as we settled into it more everything started to click again and my body got warmed up and I was feeling a lot more confident in the last 50 kilometers.

 

“I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the race and I’m hoping it it is good stage for us tomorrow. Hopefully the guys aren't too mad at me for making them ride at the front and defend the jersey tomorrow but we are definitely a strong team and motivation is high. It will be hard to defend the jersey as I think the time bonuses will be important for winning the race overall but we will give it our all and will see what happens. 

 

“I think this stage win feels really rewarding for us as a team, especially as a lot of us came here from Utah where everyone was riding really well but we weren’t able to get the stage win so it’s a little like redemption.”

 

"We had to try and to ride aggressively,” he told Directvelo. “I never thought that I would be able to win a stage. But I found myself in a good position so beautiful things can happen.

 

“The team was always in the good breaks with two or three riders. About twenty kilometers from the finish I lost my teammate [Manuel Senni] in the break. I do not know what happened, there was a crash behind me. It was not ideal, but I decided to wait for the sprint and not to attack.

 

”This final was complicated. We could not play the game too much because the peloton approached and we just rode until the last 500 meters. I wanted to take the last turn in front and stay ahead to prevent anyone from coming back too quickly. I did not know my opponents either so I was just focused on my sprint.

 

”I'm very proud to wear the yellow jersey. I have to look at the gaps. I do not know my advantage. The race is suited to the sprinters, with bonus seconds. It will not be easy but we will give everything to defend it. Today, the stage was one for the sprinters and I won. So anything is possible.”

 

Sports Director Jackson Stewart said: 

 

“We knew that the race was going to be wide open on the first day and aggressive with a lot of local teams here. On paper, it looked like it was going to be a sprint finish but we knew we wanted to be in there if a big break went away.

 

“We started really aggressive with [TJ]  Eisenhart launching an attack as well as a few others and finally Joey was able to get away with a small group which then increased to 13 riders with [Manuel] Senni in there at one point too. Everyone in the break worked hard together and they eventually made it which was really cool to see and I’m super happy for Joey.

 

“We came into this race without a clear leader and after missing out on stage wins recently, especially with the riders here from Utah, this win is definitely a great way to represent the effort that we have all been putting in.” 

 

Ag2r climber close to first pro win in flat sprint stage

Hubert Dupont (AG2R La Mondiale) finished second.

 

"I was not far from getting my first pro win but I was up against a rider who was stronger than me. I do not have any regrets,” he told Directvelo. ”I could only to hope to win the stage. At 2.5 kilometers, I saw a small opportunity so I tried to take it. It didn’t work out so I gave everything at the line. I fought against a stronger rider so there is no disappointment.  As I am not a sprinter, second place is unexpected. So I'm happy.

 

” In the early stage it was very fast. I had very bad feelings, perhaps because of the Tour de l'Ain. The guys started to get tired of going in breaks. I forced myself, saying ‘I'll attack once to help the team.’ Then it was the good move.

 

”In the end, I felt tired so I really thought it was over. However, the result was a good outcome. When you spend the day in front, this is a great reward. For the rest, we'll see how I'll recover. I have this second place so I'm happy.”

 

Nicolas Edet in GC contention after strong ride in Limousin opener

Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) was third.

 

"I'm not satisfied with third place,” he told Directvelo. “I came to the Tour du Limousin to do better than last year and to win a stage. I did not think it would be on the first day. We did not know what to expect, and finally we had an exhausting stage. The heat was very bad. I suffered.

 

”When I saw that there were attacks in all directions, I thought that I had to move. It was dangerous. We had already seen groups of 20 get away. We ended up with a fairly big group. We felt that the heat, you really had to eat to avoid a heat stroke. In the final part of the stage, I started to have cramps.

 

”We were not far ahead of the peloton where Nacer was. I did not win. We were not far from victory, unfortunately. For the GC, we'll see. The Tour du Limousin is still decided by seconds. It is not easy in Limoges so we will draw the balance on Friday. "

 

Auber 93 climber impresses in flat stage in Limousin

Theo Vimpère (HP BTP-Auber 93) finished fifth and was the most aggressive rider.

 

"The legs start to work well so I was confident for today,” he told Directvelo. “I feel good at the moment. I wanted to win, especially in front of this audience. I had chills throughout the race, I did not know that so many people knew my name. I prefer when we have stages like this. My legs were great. I am well placed overall, but I do not want to make a goal. The Tour du Limousin is well suited to the profile of the riders in our team.”

 

Caja Rural talent takes white jersey in Limousin opener

Diego Rubio (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) was sixth and the best young rider.

 

 "We started very fast,” he told Directvelo. “I managed to put myself in the breakaway. We did not have a meter of flat road. Finally, we held off the peloton in terrain that favors me which I appreciate. I wanted to do well. I tried from the distance, but in the end I am the best young rider. I gave everything, but others were too strong for me. It's a good day, we'll see after tomorrow. In the team, we have a fast Carlos Barbero as leader. Then everything will depend on how the legs respond tomorrow. "

 

Movistar efforts unrewarded in Limousin

They left all they had on the road. The Movistar Team directed by José Luis Jaimerena tried to make things as hard as possible and seek for a stage win on the opening day of the Tour du Limousin, a 165km trek between Limoges and Oradour-sur-Glane with 2,800 meters of elevation gain and high temperatures, which contributed -together with the Blues' hard work- to reduce the front group to about 80 riders.

 

The hard work by Carapaz, Arcas, Sütterlin, Pedrero, Soler and Herrada, trying to bring Fran Ventoso back into the lead after a 13-man group formed up following a demading first hour of racing, came just 17" short to succeed. A six-man lead of survivors, with Rosskopf (BMC) as stage victor, outsprinted a peloton whose deficit could be crucial, in a race with no TTs where lumpy roads make it hard to create real gaps.

 

The 26-second margin created by added bonus seconds will be the gap both Ventoso and Giovanni Visconti will have to make up in the remaining three days, starting with Wednesday's 173km stage two, finishing uphill in Auzances.

 

Rafal Majka confident after first day in Limousin

The first stage of the Tour du Limousin was expected to come down to a bunch sprint, but after a strong fight from the day’s breakaway, six riders managed to hold onto a small advantage over a charging reduced peloton to fight out the victory. Rafal Majka and Pavel Brutt were the last two Tinkoff riders left in the pack, taking 28th and 33rd respectively.

 

“The break was going really fast at the end in front, so they deserved it today,” admitted Sport Director, Tristan Hoffman after the finish. “We missed the break early on and then after this the peloton split and we had four guys in the first half. After it came back together the break went up to four minutes so we put a guy on the front to help chase.

 

“The gap came down to three then two minutes but it wasn’t coming back fast so we added more guys to the chase but it was a hard day to control. The break even took some time back in the final.”

 

The Tinkoff team featured its three stagiaires, starting their first race for the WorldTour team – Lorenzo Fortunato, Davide Ballerini and Andrea Montagnoli – all of whom showed well in their first outing in Tinkoff colours, eager to get stuck into the work.

 

With 11 riders out front, the peloton was set for a hard fight to bring them back if they worked well together and with 4km to go, they still held a 30 second advantage, and looked set to survive. The final gap was 16 seconds, with Majka first home for Tinkoff.

 

“We asked the stagiaires to be ready and try for the moves early on and they did a good job but it’s never easy,” Hoffman continued. “They gave their best. Rafa said he felt good today which is good for the coming days as he can hopefully try something. Tomorrow we’ll try again for a sprint with Erik Baška – he didn’t make the front group today after a split over one of the climbs but tomorrow we’ll try again."

 

Strange leg pain takes Cedric Pineau out of race-winning break in Limousin

What happened to Cédric Pineau in the first stage of the Tour du Limousin is pretty amazing. Present in the breakaway of 13 riders, he could not defend his chances because of a pain in one of his legs. The examinations on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning (radiographs and MRI) have not revealed the nature of the pain but Pineau was unable to take part in the second stage.

 

"Since our team has no leader appointed in this race I wanted to have fun. I joined​​the right breakaway but I started to feel pain in the thigh. After 80 kilometers I had cramps.

 

"I had more and more trouble, I insisted but I could not follow my breakaway companions. I managed to finish the stage but I was riding with one leg. The guys next to me found it amazing."

 

"The break stayed away," said FDJ sports director Yvon Madiot. "Cédric was punished twice. The MRI does not say what he suffers from, but when the doctor put his hand on the thigh, it was evident that something was wrong. It's pretty amazing but he cannot continue the race.

 

"In the first stage, I saw a good FDJ team, the guys worked well but it's a shame because Cedric would have had a good chance."