Anthony Perez wins Classic Loire Atlantique

It is the second win in three days for Cofidis as they take another one-day race in French territory. Anthony Perez had been for a long time a relatively absent figure in the peloton but has today shown another glimpse of brilliancy by winning the reduced group sprint at the French race.

The 182 kilometer race saw a hilly 14.5 kilometer circuit that was ridden around a dozen times and forced a sequence of leg-smashing efforts. It was a race suited to the puncheurs, and the race result was evident of that exactly as a 14-rider group went clear of the peloton with less than two laps to go. No-one managed to make the difference from it, and the race headed for a final sprint, with the likes of Clement Venturini and Matis Louvel as big favourites.

The win however smiled to Cofidis as Anthony Perez outsprinted his rivals for a strong win, his first in over two years. He beat Groupama - FDJ's Lewis Askey and Arkéa Samsic's Matis Louvel who rounded out the podium.