Demare Wins Binche-Chimay-Binche

Last updated : 04 October 2016 By CNS Sport

FDJ's Arnaud Demare has won the Binche-Chimay-Binche race.

The penultimate race in the Napoleon Games Cup and a 194km race from Binche via Chimay to Binche, which is the home of the Wanty Group Grobert team.

 

Lars Bak of Lotto Soudal and Vegard Stake Laengen of IAM Cycling, got away and they were 3.40 clear and then 4.35 clear.

That lead went out to nine minutes before the peloton started to work and got to within 6.40 of them with 90kms left with Carmelo Foti and Antonio Parrinello off the front and chasing before they were reeled in by the likes of Direct Energie and FDJ.

With 63.7kms to go, the gap was down to 4.34 on a sunny afternoon as they headed in Binche for the first of four laps including some sections of cobbles.

Forty kilometres later and the gap had fallen to under a minute and was at 32 seconds with twenty kilometres to go and five kilometres later, the break was ended.

There were a few attacks but under the flam rouge and it was a reduced sprint.

Arnaud Demare took on Zdenek Stybar in the sprint and won it in 4.30.32, with Roelandts third and Greg Van Avermaet in fourth.

Demare said about his win: "It was a strange sprint. I knew that we had the corner in th finish and I decided to go in the corner. This is a really important victory considering the forthcoming World Championships and I think I will work well with Nacer Bouhanni."