After the late attack of Paul Hennequin, Cofidis was left to do the leadout with Alexis Renard. The Frenchman looked like he was going to succeed, but Fretin shot off from the peloton like a rocket, using Hennequin's slipstream and taking the win. This was a victory similar to that of Mark Cavendish's
2009 Milano-Sanremo; or the
18th stage of the 2012 Tour de France where the Manxman caught the attackers mid-sprint in incredible fashion.
“I really enjoyed the trust of my teammates. After all, the chance that it would result in a group sprint was high and so it happened," the Belgian added; taking Cofidis' third win of the season - a tab that only opened now in May. "When it became clear that they were going to pull my card completely, I was a bit stressed, but I was still able to finish it... I was looking forward to that first win. Maybe there will be another group sprint on Wednesday and I can have another chance. I'm going to enjoy this stage victory,”