Wallays Wins Paris-Tours

14 October 2014 10:07

Jelle Wallays of Topsport Vlaanderen has won the Paris-Tours race.

Organised by Tour De France organisers ASO, the Paris-Tours race is a race of 237.5kms and from Bonneval to Tours and the final one day day race of the season.

The 108th edition of this race, attracted a strong field of 159 riders including last year's winner John Degenkolb but saw Tommy Voeckler of Europcar, Jelle Wallays of Topsport, Kev Van Melsen of Wanty Group, Cesare Benedetti of Netapp Endura and Yohan Paillot of La Pomme Marseille. get in to an early break.

They were chased down by Pierre Gouault of BigMat and Julien Duval of the Roubaix Lille Metropole team and were 6.40 ahead after fifteen kilometres.

Battling a tailwind and rain, their lead was 5.30 with 70kms gone and was 3.25 by the time, they had got through the feedzone after 117kms and following the abandonment of Navardauskas of Garmin-Sharp and Omega Pharam Quick Step duo Keisse and De Gendt.

At an average speed of 42,375 km/h for the fourth hour, Pim Ligthart of Lotto and Belkin's Maarten Tjallinghi went chasing after the escapers. However, their attempt failed and they were soon pack in a peloton which was 2.25 behind the leaders after 195kms.

On wet roads, there was a crash with 28.3kms to go with an FDJ and a Giant Shimano rider going down.

The peloton were 1.40 back on the six escapers and ten seconds behind Jimmy Engoulvent of Europcar and a Bretagne rider in Clement Koretsky.

There was another crash eight kilometres caused by a motorbike which saw riders going into a ditch as well as the likes of Alo Jakin of BigMat hitting the tarmac.

Up the road, Voeckler, Wallays and Van Melsen had got away from the other escapers and were leading.

FDJ' Laurent Pinchon was involved in another crash with fifteen kilometres left.

With ten kilometres to go, their lead was less than a minute as the trio started on the two kilometre long Cote de Beausoleil climb.

On the climb and Voeckler went for it, followed by Wallays whilst behind him, Sep Vanmarcke of Belkin attacked with a group that included Ramon Sinckledam and John Degenkolb of Giant Shimano and Dylan Teuns of BMC who was tenth in the Tour Of Britain.

Then onto the 400m long Cote de Pan climb and Vockler and Wallays were thirty seconds ahead of this second group which was clear of FDJ's Arnaud Demare who had been one of the favourites to win this race and add to his tally of fifteen wins this season.

Demare got a tow and joined this chasing group as Teuns went after Voeckler and Wallays, who had a 28 second lead with two kilometres left.

Under the flam rouge and Vockler was leading just ahead of Wallays. . Voeckler led out the sprint as the peloton started to close but Jelly Wallays from Belgium who got round Voeckler to win in 5.26.18 with Debusschere third, Roy Jans fourth and Heinrich Haussler in fifth.

Source: DSG