Lotto Soudal's Pim Ligthart has won the 36th GP Cycliste la Marseillaise.
The first race on French soil of the 2015 season was a 139,7km race from Allauch to Marseille with a finish in front of the Stade Vélodrome and was a 1.1 category race on the UCI European Tour event.
A strong field for a race won in 2007 by British rider Jeremy Hunt and included defending champion Kenneth Vanbilsen, saw Irishman Conor Dunne of An Post Chain Reaction, Julien Duval of Armee De Terre, Frederik Veuchelen of Wanty Group, Steven Tronet of Auber 93 and Thomas Vanbourzeix of Veranclassic get into a lead which was 1.20 over McCarthy, who was leading the chase and 1.40 over the peloton with 115kms to go.
There was seventy five kilometres remaining when McCarthy was caught by the peloton as the five stretched their lead to 7.15.
The peloton organised themselves and had that lead down to 1.40 thirty kilometres later before Steven Tronet took the climb at Julhan-Les Bastides in front of Frederik Veuchelen and Thomas Vaubourzeix who failed in a breakaway attempt.
On the foot of the la Gineste climb, the gap was down to fifty seconds and with now Dunne, Vanbourzeix, Veuchelen and Tronet out in front, the escapers were only thirty seconds clear with fifteen kilometres remaining.
A kilometre later and they were caught and Carlos Quntero of Team Colombia attacked with Sean De Bie (Lotto-Soudal), Clement Saint-Martin (Marseille 13-KTM) and Davide Rebellin (CCC).
With the peloton eight seconds behind for the final five kilometres, Remy Di Gregorio of Team Marseille, Amets Txurruka of Caja Rural, Bjorn Leukemans of Wanty Group and Cyril Gautier of Europcar joined the action on the front.
As they went under the flam rouge, the peloton caught them and set up a sprint which Pim Ligthart won, beating 2014 winner Kenneth Vanbilsen, Antoinne Demoitie of Walloons Bruxelles, Baptiste Planckaert of Robaix Lille Metropol and Romain Feillu of Bretagne Seche Enviroment, followed by Hivert, Marcato, Theuns, Renault, Giraud and Amets Txurruka.
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