Oliver Naesen : “A la maison”
“”Today, I was at home on my training roads. I ride regularly with Greg (Van Avarmaet) and Laurens (De Plus) when I’m at home.
I’m really happy to win this final stage. With 25 kilometers to go to the finish, I saw that the peloton was going to break apart, and that the final decision would be made by the leaders. This is my fifth victory as a professional, and the fourth in August. I think that around this time of year, some of the peloton is getting tired and I’m still very motivated. This year again I came out of the Tour de France in good shape, and I’m taking advantage of that right now. Now we’ll head to the one day races in Hamburg, Plouay and the two events in Canada. I’m in first place in the world ranking for the one day races, and I would like to try to defend this position. I know that I am not the best in the world, but this ranking rewards my consistency, and I am proud of it.”OLIVER NAESEN
THE NEWS
Oliver Naesen in Hamburg
Oliver Naesen will be at the start line of the EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg on August 25 to defend his first place in the UCI one-day race classification. He will then defend his victory from last year at the Bretagne Classic - Ouest France on September 1st.
Benoît Cosnefroy : “I stayed focused after the Tour de France”
“After Paris-Camembert, this is my second win this season in my home region, and I’m very happy.
As you would expect, we had a very active race. I was in a group 70 kilometers away from the finish and we managed to strike out about twenty kilometers before the end of the race. In the final, Damien Touzé scared me, because I knew he was going to be fast in the sprint. I got through my first Tour de France in July, where I occasionally had difficult days. Nevertheless, I did not get psychologically worn out after the three weeks of racing. I managed to stay focused after the Tour de France, while allowing myself some days off. This victory is really good for my morale. Next week I will be heading to the Tour du Limousin, and I hope to continue to have fun and enjoy my good form”BENOIT COSNEFROY
Aurélien Paret-Peintre took the 5th place at the Polynormande.
THE NEWS
Leader in the Coupe de France team classification
AG2R LA MONDIALE remains at the top of the team classification after this eleventh round of the Coupe de France with 94 points against 85 points for Arkea-Samsic and 77 points for Groupama FDJ. In the individual classification, Benoît Cosnefroy is now second with 150 points (against 161 points for Marc Sarreau, the leader). Quentin Jaurégui is 6th (69 points), Alexis Gougeard is 10th (56 points). Next round: Grand Prix de Fourmies (September 8th).
THE NUMBER
12
A few minutes after Oliver Naesen's victory during the 7th stage of the BinckBank Tour, Benoît Cosnefroy earned the twelfth victory for the AG2R LA MONDIALE team by winning the Polynormande. Here are the riders who have already won in 2019:
Alexis Vuillermoz :
Royal Bernard Drôme Classic
Alexis Gougeard
Stage 3 and GC Circuit de la Sarthe – Boucle de l’Aulne
Benoît Cosnefroy
Paris-Camembert – Grand Prix de Plumelec - Polynormande
Alexandre Geniez
Stage 2 Tour de l’Ain
Nans Peters
Stage 17 Giro d’Italia
Dorian Godon
Prologue Boucles de la Mayenne
Gediminas Bagdonas
Lithuanian TT Champion
Oliver Naesen
Stage 7 BinckBank Tour