Results 4 Jours de Dunkerque 2026 Stage 1 - Laurence Pithie powers to uphill sprint win and take leader's jersey

Laurence Pithie timed his sprint to perfection at 4 Jours de Dunkerque, rounding Lewis Askey to take the stage 1 on an uphill finish. The Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe rider takes the first leader's jersey in Laon, and is in prime position for general classification, as Bryan Coquard took second and Askey rounded out the podium.

Riders faced a challenging 177.3km opening stage, and teams were likely relieved to see a controllable breakaway establish itself. Tom Mainguenaud, Victor Papon, Kevin Avoine, Arnaud Tendon and Lenaic Langella formed the day's early break but never gained a gap of more than 1:30 during the stage.

There was disappointment for Picnic - PostNL after Pavel Bittner didn't start the race. He suffered a crash in the final of Classique Dunkerque on Tuesday, and his injuries prevented him from competing.

Netcompany Ineos also suffered an early race blow as Sam Welsford abandoned the race, and Langella, who was in the breakaway, also didn't finish the day. NSN Cycling Team and Decathlon CMA CGM led the peloton behind the break, who were caught with roughly 21 kilometers to go.

Affairs at the front of the bunch became increasingly cagey as they crossed the finish line to mark two laps to go and the pace increased. Over the top of the climb to the finish, and as riders entered the final lap, Benjamin Thomas gained a small gap with a flying attack.

Thomas was caught with 7 kilometers to go as teams seemingly lined up for a final 1 kilometer drag race to the line. Uno-X Mobility were in prime position heading into the climb to the line after a hectic final lap that featured three crashes.

Red Bull - BORA Hansgrohe took to the front before the flamme rouge as they looked to lead out Laurence Pithie. Lewis Askey was the first to attack as he sprinted from far out, but it was Pithie who came around him in the final bend, cutting inside the Briton, to claim victory in dominant fashion.