Belgian rider Greg van Avermaet (BMC) has won the Paris-Tours single-day classic in a time of 5:21:43, powering ahead of the breakaway with 20km left to go and ultimately beating Italian Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling) in a sprint finish for what was arguably the win of his career. Saxo Bank-SunGard’s Kasper Klostergaard placed third with +15.
Mark Cavendish’s world champion’s rainbow jersey was not enough to brighten the showery and wind-swept day, which saw him finish in a disappointing 42nd place. The HTC rider subsequently tweeted: Phew, that was a stressful day. A strong wind from the start with small roads. It was a hard race with a worthy winner. Congratulations to Greg Van Avermaet.” The highest placed Brit was Team Sky’s Ian Stannard in fourth.
Image: ©BMC/Tim de Waele
