After a few successful years with the Sojasun team, Julien Simon joined Cofidis for the 2014 season and today the Frenchman got close to his first win with his new team. The Frenchman made it into the 28-rider group that decided the win but in the end he was beaten into second by the superior sprinting abilities of Bryan Coquard.

Julien Simon rose to fame when he won two stages at the 2012 Volta a Catalunya to put his  then Sojasun team in the spotlight in a big WorldTour race. Later in the season he proved his versatile skills by winning the hard one-day races Tour du Finistere, GP Plumelex, and Tour de Wallonie.

Simon has all the skills to become a prolific winner as he is both a solid climber on shorter hills and has a very fast sprint. However, he failed to reach his best level in a winless 2013 season even though he shined in the Tour de France where he was just one second from taking the leader's jersey after the first stages in Corsica.

With the disbandment of Sojasun, Simon suddenly found himself without a team but Cofidis was quick to sign a contract with the strong Frenchman. This year he has indicated that he may find back to his best level by putting in very solid showing in the Ruta del Sol and the recent Criterium International.

Today he almost broke his long drought when he finished second in the tough French one-day race Route Adelié Vitré. Having originally missed the split, he showed his strength by bridging across to the select 28-rider group on his own and counted on his fast sprint in the finale.

Unfortunately, Bryan Coquard had made it into the group and even though Simon is fast, he is no real sprinter like the Europcar rider. Hence, he had to settle for second and admitted that the winner had simply been the fastest.

"I had to change bikes because I had the battery for my derailleur was flat," he said. "I could not change gears. But I could not give up after all the work my teammates had done. Belletti launched the sprint. I was on his wheel but Bryan was on mine."

Today's result was his best since he finished 2nd in a stage in the 2013 Tour de Limousin.