Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the eight-rider breakaway on one of final 13 sectors of cobbles Gianni Vermeersch and Dries De Bondt complete podium from cagey sprint finish of eight-rider breakaway A 19-year-old Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) claimed his first professional victory at the GP de Denain after sprinting to the line from a select group of eight riders at the end of the 197km race The Briton was battling at the front of the race with Lotto pairing Alec Segaert and Brent Van Moer Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) on the run to the finish of his eighth pro race day but the eight men would come to the line together to contest the sprint finish Following one last attempt by Lotto’s non-sprinters to go clear it was Tomáš Kopecky (Unibet Tietema Rockets) who launched his sprint at the front first who earlier this month won two races with Visma’s development team but Brennan was always slightly ahead and had the fastest finishing kick to boot The British rider kicked on and had time to celebrate before the line Gianni Vermeersch came through for second place ahead of De Bondt while Florian Vermeersch and Van Moer rounded out the top five It’s something we really aimed for as a team and I’m really thankful for the work they did today,” Brennan said after his win and I knew that quite a lot of the boys wanted to attack It was quite hard to manage it but coming to the finish I kind of knew that I had a faster sprint than probably most of the guys there That gave me confidence coming into the final “It was tough positioning [on the cobbles] but it was kind of alright once you were there you come out the other side and then look back and it’s all in one line I think we did really well as a team to keep me up there in good position and I really thank them for that today You couldn’t wish for a better [start to] the season The winning move had established itself at the front 42km from the finish line when Segaert and Gianni Vermeersch led the attacking in the peloton on the four-star cobbled sector at Quérénaing à Verchain Maugré-Pavé Jan Luc Derche with five more to follow before the finish Segaert and Vermeersch took their teammates Van Moer and Tibor Del Grosso along for the ride and Dillon Corkery (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93) also made the group a chasing group including Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) and several others formed The men out front didn’t let up the pace holding a slim advantage over the chase and extending it to a still-fragile 25 seconds at the 10km mark Del Grosso and Huens had fallen out of contention for victory But there was still enough firepower in front to stay away and contest the final among themselves despite several attacks which disrupted any smooth pacemaking and in the end the race pivoted on the closing sprint who has already marked himself out as one to watch for the future at Visma-Lease a Bike Results powered by FirstCycling Dani has reported from the world's top races She has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars and her favourite races are the Giro d'Italia you will then be prompted to enter your display name Matthew Brennan impressively won the Grand Prix de Denain The 19-year-old rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was the fastest in the sprint of a small group after an intense race who also triumphed in two other French one-day races a fortnight ago Brennan managed to win the race in the sprint of a small group I knew I had the fastest sprint of the guys there That gave me confidence heading into the final." it was the perfect day to attack the French cobbles for the first time this season but the high pace in the peloton meant they were reeled in well before the finish A new leading group emerged on one of the first cobbled sections who took second place earlier this season on his WorldTour debut in Australia managed to position himself cleverly and reacted alertly to several attacks played the game smartly and then sprinted convincingly to victory "The team did a great job today," Brennan said "They put me in a perfect position and I was also well positioned when going up the cobbled sections Then it's also easier to find your rhythm on those bad sections I am very grateful to everyone for the work they did." After victories in the Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers and Le Tour des 100 Communes Brennan could put his hands in the air for the third time this season sports director Robert Wagner praised the performance of his pupil who was part of the Development Team last year "Although Matthew has never ridden at this level before he showed again today that he knows better than anyone else when to take action He has a nose for the right moment and rode very attentively from the front As the group got smaller and the finish line approached we knew there was a good chance he would finish it off Subscribe yourself for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike newsletter and receive previews for races We are racing on the cobbles this Thursday The big cobbled Classics of the season are rapidly approaching but before the main appointments of late March and early April our riders will have the opportunity to take on a one-day race which incorporates some of the famous pavé roads of the “Hell of the North” the 66th edition of the Grand Prix de Denain is scheduled to take place over a 197.7km course that will include 22.9 kilometers of cobbles divided across 13 different sectors which are sure to gradually whittle down the peloton The first of these comes more than 100 kilometers into the race with the last one – the 1600m-long Abscon segment – set to be tackled just ten kilometers from home Soudal Quick-Step will be at the start with a young squad – consisting of Gil Gelders and Warre Vangheluwe – and sports director Tom Steels is confident in our chances of doing a good race: “Denain is a hectic race it’s a good opportunity to test the equipment towards Paris-Roubaix but the guys are motivated and determined to prove themselves.” Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images to know how many times a particular page is read We only use this information to improve the content of our website These cookies are only placed after you have given your consent Denain/France – With the recent launch of operations at the new warehouse in Denain in Northern France Maersk is now providing fulfilment services for one of the world’s leading e-commerce companies at a facility strategically located in one of Europe's main logistics centres the first one the company has launched in France is part of GLP Park Denain (with total surface area of about 100,000 m2) and now fully operational The complex is in the immediate vicinity of the city of Lille in Hauts-de-France 3rd French region in terms of logistics employment with approximately half a million inhabitants residing within less than 30 minutes from the site and easily accessible by 12 motorways and rail connections The new facility is situated at the junction of the A2 and A21 motorways (109 km from Brussels and 198 km to Paris) and along the canal on the river Scheldt (Grand Canal de l’Escaut) which has received BREEAM Very Good certification floor load of 5 t/m² and a truck yard of 35 m The facility has separate circulation for heavy goods and light vehicles and is equipped with Autodocks (automated docking system) With the go-live of the warehouse in Denain Maersk is now offering warehousing and distribution services in 15 European countries besides its global network of warehouses The previous facility opened in the summer of 2024 in Fredericia A.P. Moller - Maersk is an integrated logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains the company operates in more than 130 countries and employs around 100,000 people Maersk is aiming to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies By submitting this form, I agree to receive logistics related news and marketing updates from A. P. Moller-Maersk and its affiliated companies via e-mail. I understand that I can opt out of such Maersk communications at any time. To see how we process your personal data, please see our Privacy Notification Young Briton Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) seals his first career victory at the GP de Denain Illness hits Belgian champion's preparation for Spring Classics Lotto announced on Thursday that Arnaud De Lie will not compete in Milan-San Remo on March 22 as planned The Belgian champion has struggled with illness and it has affected his training Rather than head into La Primavera not feeling 100% De Lie will focus on the races earlier in the week He will race Nokere Koerse on March 19 and has added the GP de Denain on March 20 to his calendar It's a second setback for De Lie, who postponed his season start in the GP Castellon and Clássica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 in January after injuring his knee in a crash during training The incident hardly slowed the 22-year-old down, as he won his first race of 2025 on stage 3 of the Étoile de Bessèges he dropped out of the Volta ao Algarve two weeks later De Lie is a critical rider for Lotto this season, as the team aim to gain enough points toward rejoining the WorldTour as the current three-year promotion/relegation cycle comes to an end at the close of this season He was responsible for 20% of the team's points in 2023 and 2024 and the team have since lost other key points-scoring riders such as Maxim Van Gils and Florian Vermeersch to other WorldTour teams. Lotto are struggling so far this year and are currently a distant 25th in the UCI Team Rankings for 2025 their 2023 and 2024 seasons were lucrative enough that the Belgian outfit are still ninth in the accumulated 2023-2025 points totals so far Since the UCI's rule change in 2020 that applied 'sporting criteria' to the WorldTour requirements teams must now be in the top 18 of the three-year rankings to be promoted to or remain in the sport's top tier Lotto lost out on their licence in the last cycle along with Israel-Premier Tech with Arkéa-B&B Hotels and Intermarché-Wanty being promoted This time, it's Arkéa-B&B Hotels and XDS Astana who are most in danger of relegation for the 2026-2028 WorldTour she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track Laura has a passion for all three disciplines When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads UCI governance and performing data analysis Source : www.uci.org © DirectVelo - Tous droits réservés. Mentions légales - CGV Vous pouvez aussi consulter du contenu spécifique à la FranceBelgique : You can read this article in 2 minutesPölös Zsófia Maersk has launched operations at a new 75,000 m² warehouse in Denain providing fulfilment services for a leading global e-commerce company marks Maersk’s first warehouse in France and strengthens its presence in one of Europe’s key logistics centres part of the 100,000 m² GLP Park Denain complex is situated near Lille in the Hauts-de-France region an area known for its robust logistics infrastructure The location is accessible via 12 motorways It is positioned at the junction of the A2 and A21 motorways approximately 109 km from Brussels and 198 km from Paris The warehouse has received BREEAM Very Good certification and is equipped with 85 doors and a floor load capacity of 5 tonnes per square metre It features separate circulation routes for heavy and light vehicles and an automated docking system (Autodocks) According to Maersk the new facility enhances its warehousing and distribution services across Europe with operations now spanning 15 countries in addition to its global network The Denain site follows the opening of another warehouse in Fredericia highlighted the importance of the Hauts-de-France region noting that it represents nearly a third of GLP’s portfolio in France “We are proud to welcome such a major customer as Maersk to GLP Park Denain,” he stated Maersk’s Regional Head of Contract Logistics in Europe described the facility’s launch as a milestone for the company in France supporting its efforts to develop tailored solutions for customers and their end-users Pölös Zsófia Journalist Trans.info | 6.05.2025 Fragrance on the Fly: Why Pocket Perfumes Are Perfect for Airplane TravelSponsored Article 6.05.2025 CLASSEMENT. Le jeune Matthew Brennan (19 ans) a remporté ce jeudi 20 mars le Grand Prix de Denain 2025 (1.Pro) en dominant au sprint au groupe de 8 coureurs dans lequel il se trouvait Le coureur de la Visma-Lease a Bike s’impose devant les Belges Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin Deceuninck) et Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) Devenez un membre privilégié de TotalVelo profitez et naviguez sans pubs avec des analyses pointues des contenus exclusifs sur les plus grandes épreuves et soutenez un média indépendant.Abonnez-vous maintenant et vivez le cyclisme autrement 🇫🇷 #GPDenain MATTHEW WINS GRAND PRIX DE DENAIN! 💥 pic.twitter.com/qf7ZVCEWAN David Gaudu (28 ans) sera le leader de l’équipe Groupama-FDJ sur le Giro 2025 (9 mai-1er juin) Le Français visera un bon classement général,… L’équipe Picnic PostNL a dévoilé le nom de ses 8 hommes qui participeront au Giro 2025 (du 9 mai au 1er juin) L’équipe Lidl-Trek compte sur Giulio Ciccone (30 ans) et Mads Pedersen (29 ans) pour briller le Giro 2025 du 9 mai au 1er juin Dillon Corkery has taken the best result of his career at Grand Prix de Denain (1.Pro) after the making the breakaway riding against many of the biggest World Tour teams in the sport who has turned himself into a serious proposition after years if development in France was among an eight-rider group that fought to stay clear after 193km of racing The Irishman put in a dig inside the final 1km as the bunch was breathing down their necks; getting into a late chicane in the lead but not managing to shake off those he was witth And though the podium was an all World Tour line-up – Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) from Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin – Deceuninck) and Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) – Corkery was in the thick of it for a the day In the end he placed 6th; a career best result at this level for the Rás Tailteann winner from two years ago Matty Brennan just can’t stop winning!! 🔥 The young British sensation secures his first pro victory at GP de Denain 2025! #GPDenain https://t.co/lTcxRdEIfi pic.twitter.com/SPvWwbNLsH We’re determined to make stickybottle.com much better for your enjoyment So become a ‘Stickybottle Supporter’ now from just €5 per month We’ve grown our audience significantly in recent years but the advertising market has become harder and harder each year In order to survive and grow – and create much better content – we need to develop an income from our readers By signing up to become a ‘Stickybottle Supporter’ you’ll be helping to secure independent coverage of Irish cycling for years to come Every cent collected from readers will be used to directly fund content Sign Up the Grand Prix de Denain is a French cycling race created in 1959 which takes place around the city of Denain in the Nord department The race is classified in category 1.1 from 2005 until 2015 by the UCI then as a 1.HC until 2016 and is part of the French cyclism cup the course greatly evolves with the appearance of 12 cobbles sector Hofstetter's first handlebar failure was on the left hand side Hofstetter was visibly angry when the handlebars on his spare bike also broke Arkéa-Samsic rider appeared to snap two pairs of handlebars in just over 20 kilometres at the cobbled race A multi-rider pileup on one of the race's narrow roads at around 48km to go saw multiple riders go down in the peloton, including the Arkéa-Samsic rider Hofstetter was quick to his feet on the right-hand side of the road and remounted his bike with shorts muddied and critically the left-hand side of his Bianchi Oltre RC's handlebars dangling after snapping above the shifter clamp as the bars start to curve toward the shifters. The failure looked very similar to the mechanical Mathieu Van der Poel suffered at Le Saym in 2021 was forced to ride on with broken handlebars After valiantly pushing on with his handlebars dangling for several kilometres Hofstetter would eventually get a fresh Bianchi from his team car back in the thick of the action on the 10th cobbled sector of the race at Monchaux-sur-Ecaillon saw Hofstetter in trouble once more Hofstetter could be seen riding at the rear of the peloton with the right-hand side of his handlebars snapped off and dangling It seemed that the harsh vibrations or perhaps a heavy impact while riding the cobbles had snapped his spare bike's handlebars in a very similar way Hofstetter, who last year won Tro-Bro Léon was visibly angry and annoyed after having his chances of getting to the head of the race scuppered by an identical mechanical In the end, the Frenchman was a non-finisher at the 195km race, which was won by Colombian sprinter Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates) from a lead group which had attacked at 30km to go The Bianchi Oltre RC was launched in October last year and was billed as a new 'hyperbike' by the legendary Italian brand The bike featured F1-influenced 'air deflectors' designed to channel airflow more effectively around the bike Prices started at £11,200 or $13,500 for the top flight model which is raced by Arkéa-Samsic, who made the switch from Canyon bikes for 2023 It later transpired the air deflectors could not be used in UCI races as they were not included as part of the homologation process for the bike and as such could not be used in UCI-sanctioned events It appeared Bianchi never intended for the deflectors to be used in UCI-sanctioned events after they presented the bike initially without them. Cyclingnews will keep an eye out for a response from Bianchi on the handlebar failures at today's race. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of. He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track and has ridden and competed in most disciplines He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing. Dries Van Gestel takes third ahead of Arnaud De Lie from four-rider chase group Jannik Steimle (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) claimed a surprise victory at the Grand Prix de Denain where the early breakaway held on after the group of favourites was stalled by a crash on the final sector of cobbles Steimle outsprinted breakaway companion Cerial Desal (Bingoal WB) while Dries Van Gestel (TotalEnergies) pipped Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) to third place That pair had been in a group of nine strongmen that was closing in on the escapees in the finale but their pursuit was hampered when Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) crashed on the last section of cobbles Only Van Gestel and De Lie’s teammate Brent Van Moer came through without falling but they couldn’t strike a working agreement to chase down the remaining escapees Desal and Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel-Roubaix) still had almost a minute or so in hand on their chasers and it was soon clear that they would fight out the victory Jarnet was distanced in the closing kilometres and Steimle’s experience and strength made the difference in the two-up sprint for the win “I’m really happy that we made it to the finish,” Steimle said “We had a really nice group from the start and I think we really raced well together I think it was crucial to stay on the bike in the wet cobbled sections.” Steimle joined Q36.5 in the winter after spending his first seasons as a professional with QuickStep. “I was at QuickStep for the last four years,” the German said and now I’ll go with a lot of motivation to the big Classics.” Desal and Jarnet were joined by James Fouché (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Paul Hennequin (Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur) in an early break of five riders and they gained a maximum advantage of seven minutes over the peloton They still had five minutes in hand on the bunch by the time they hit the first sector of cobbles with 80km remaining That was enough to persuade Küng to spring into action The Swiss rider attacked alone from the peloton with a shade over 60km to go and he looked at ease on the cobbles as he closed the gap to three minutes while Lotto-Dstny were riding to bring the pre-race favourite De Lie back into contention Küng was joined by a group that included De Lie Juan Molano and Filippo Baroncini (UAE Team Emirates) After a solo effort from Baroncini had failed to make much of an impact on the break’s lead the gap eventually began to come down thanks to forcing from Küng and it looked as though the favourites might fight out the win after all Küng was driving the pace with intent on the front and all momentum ebbed away from the chasing group Primoz Roglic has also demonstrated his excellent shape in the Grand Prix de Denain The 32-year-old Slovenian rider of Team Jumbo-Visma took part in the final with a leading group of five and seemed to be on his way to a place of honour but was caught just before the finish The Dutchman crashed hard and broke his right ankle five riders formed the day's breakaway and gained a five-minute maximum lead in the flat part of the race The race's second half contained twenty kilometres of cobbled sections and the peloton went for it INEOS then accelerated on one of the cobbled sections last Sunday's overall winner in Paris-Nice joined the leading group after a considerable effort It seemed they would decide who would take the victory like the nervousness before the cobbled sections I am not dissatisfied with the final result because the result was not the main goal for today." Sports director Grischa Niermann praised Roglic's efforts "We were here to test the guys and the equipment We learned a lot concerning the cobbled stage in the Tour de France Racing on cobblestones is different than reconnaissance Jonas was without a chance after his puncture in the second local lap we can reflect on today with satisfaction because we did what we came for Today has made us much better with a view to the summer." Two-time Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Yves Lampaert will lead the squad this Thursday Who doesn’t love a mini-Paris-Roubaix especially when it’s scheduled just three weeks before the “Queen of the Classics” Grand Prix de Denain is just that and this year promises a great fight between the cobbles specialists who will take on twelve sectors spread over the 196.2kilometers of the French race The most important of these are the five-star St-Vaast-en-Cambrésis a Quievy and Quérénaing a Maing but even Avesnes-le-Sec a Hordain could end up playing a key role despite being only 800 meters in length as it will be the final hurdle on the route set to be tackled inside the closing 15 kilometers of this 65th edition Yves Lampaert – a top-three finisher in Paris-Roubaix a couple of years ago – Pepijn Reinderink Bert Van Lerberghe and Jordi Warlop are the seven Soudal Quick-Step riders who will be this Thursday at the start of the race “It’s the first time that we do this race and it will be a useful way to test our material ahead of Paris-Roubaix The race can be split in two: a first part consisting of three big loops where we have to pay attention to the road furniture and a second one comprising twelve cobblestone sectors so with the weather here it’s likely it will be the same on Thursday we are confident we can be in the mix for a good result.” Photo credit: ©Alex Broadway / Getty Images 'We particularly want to see how we can support Jonas and Roglic' says Jumbo-Visma coach Thursday's GP Denain occupies a relatively minor place among spring's cobbled Classics the 1.Pro race nestled in the days before the season's first Monument at Milan-San Remo and a week before the cobbles come to the WorldTour on the run-up to Flanders and Roubaix The trio will take on 19.4 kilometres of pavé across 12 sectors during the 200-kilometre race, with the peloton racing across six separate sectors in two laps around Denain. None of the sectors will feature on the all-important fifth stage of the Tour to Arenberg, though getting a feel for the cobbles will still be key for Roglič, Vingegaard, and Yates. "We don't start here with the ambition to win," said Jumbo-Visma coach Grischa Niermann. "We do want to ride a good race and especially learn a lot from it. "That's why we chose this race as a kind of dress rehearsal for the Tour de France, and Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič will be at the start together. It would be nice if we can get a good result on Thursday, but we particularly want to see how we can support Jonas and Roglič as well." The race is set to offer the GC contenders a gentler introduction to the cobbles in comparison to the 30-plus sector Paris-Roubaix which, at 60 kilometres longer and with the start list packed with star Classics names. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Other major names set to ride include Classics specialists Niki Terpstra (TotalEnergies), Oliver Naesen (AG2R Citroën), and Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix), while sprinters Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) and Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) also line up. "The race can also offer great opportunities for other riders on our team," added Niermann. "It it turns out to be a sprint we have, for example, David Dekker, who can show himself. The GP Denain is Lennard Hofstede's first race of the season, and he is eager to ride." Mick van Dijke, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Timo Roosen round out Jumbo-Visma's seven-man squad for the race. Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling Be one of the first to try our new activity feed Slovenian Primož Roglič used race as a preview for the cobbled stage waiting this summer at the Tour de France Max Walscheid (Cofidis) won the 2022 Grand Prix de Denain, after a dangerous five-man break that included Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) was brought back at the red kite. The race nearly blew up when three Ineos Grenadiers riders, including American rookie Magnus Sheffield, powered off the front in the closing 30km. Roglič and another rider hitched a ride, and were only caught with about 1km to go. “I am incredibly happy. We did the best performance possible and I am so happy to finish it off,” he said. “We took control in the beginning and the team put me in the last 500m, and then it was full-gas to the line. I knew it was a difficult situation [Roglič group] and I was a little bit scared that we did not catch them back. I am super happy for our team. Today we also scored a lot of points and my teammates have scored some victories and I hope we can keep this ball rolling.” Roglič and Jumbo-Visma teammate Jonas Vingegaard were both at the start line at the relatively minor midweek semi-classic to get a taste of some cobbles. With a stage set to trace some pavé at the Tour de France this summer, the pair wanted a race-speed sampling of the bumpy stuff. Cofidis and other teams piled on to bring back the attackers and the big German finished off the job. Walscheid was patient and waited to launch his winning sprint until seemingly just 100m to go. Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) battled Adrien Petit (Intermarché Wanty Gobert Matériaux) for second and third places. After finishing second Wednesday at Danilith Nokere Koerse, the win was Walscheid’s first in more than two years. A five-man break went off the front early, but this group eventually slimmed to three, and the most experienced rider in the group was Niki Terpstra (TotalEnergies). This break came apart before the 70km to go mark, and at 67km repeated attacks went off the front to try to bring back the remaining escapees who were 2:12 up the road. A crash at 50km shattered the peloton while the three on the front rolled on, still a minute out front of the next group on the road. The peloton brought back the intermediate chase group before the first of six cobbled sectors on the final lap, and then absorbed the final men in the break at 30km to go. Nearly as soon as the group was back together, a threatening break was launched by Ineos Grenadiers, with Sheffield, Ben Turner, and Jhonatan Narváez. The three were joined by Damien Touze (AG2R-Citroën), and Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). Vingegaard punctured just before Ineos split the bunch, and he was unable to follow the break. Over the successive 15km, this quintet stretched its advantage to nearly half a minute. A post shared by Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@teamvisma_leaseabike) Groupama-FDJ went to the front of the just two-dozen or so group to bring the men on the front under control seemingly recovered from his earlier mission added firepower to the pursuit who had done the majority of pulling in the late break dropped back as the peloton looked to be within striking distance of Roglič’s group When it looked like he was about to be brought back as the Jumbo-Visma captain swung to the side of the road as the main bunch was on his wheels The pace of the chase increased and finally brought back Narváez just under the flamme rouge A patient Walscheid waited until the final 100m and surged holding Bondt and Petit in the chaotic finale Slovenian uses cobbled mid-week Classic as rehearsal for upcoming Tour pave stage This summer’s Tour de France will feature nearly 20 kilometres of cobbled racing in what promises to be one of the most fraught first week stages And with that very much in mind, both Roglič and teammate Jonas Vingegaard set to be Jumbo-Visma’s co-leader for the Tour de France took part in the lowkey mid-week Grand Prix de Denain to consolidate their techniques for riding at race speed across the pavé of northern France Prior to racing Jumbo-Visma sources had explained that rather than use the much rougher pave of the Flemish Classics as a test the smoother cobbles on the GP de Denain route were more similar to those the peloton will be tackling this summer on stage 5 from Lille to Arenberg Roglic takes on Tour de France cobbles 'dress rehearsal' at GP Denain Form ranking: Tour de France 2022 contenders Paris-Nice a good 'test' for Van Aert-Roglic partnership in San Remo, Tour de France While a late puncture kept Vingegaard out of the main race action Roglič proved to be thoroughly at home on the cobbles the Slovenian took part in a 35-kilometre late break alongside three Ineos Grenadiers racers: Magnus Sheffield as well as France’s Damien Touzé (AG2R Citroën) Reeled in two kilometres from the line with the rest of the break Roglič said afterwards that he felt very satisfied with his high-profile performance on such nominally unfamiliar terrain – despite nearly making it to the line I was here to experience the cobbles,” Roglič finally 36th at 22 seconds behind winner Max Walscheid (Cofidis) The GP de Denain contained just over 20 kilometres of cobbles in twelve sections this year in comparison to the 19.4 kilometres which the peloton will tackle this summer in the Tour “You really have to stay focused all the time “Here we could race on the sides of the roads at some points,” where the grass verges offered a notably smoother racing experience than the cobbles We’ll have to stay in the middle.” Roglič also highlighted the narrowness of the cobbled sectors with just two or three participants able to ride abreast But other eye-witness at the GP de Denain said they were impressed by what they saw he’s so strong that he was up there at the front every time we started a sector,” Adrien Petit (Intermarche-Gobert-Wanty Materiaux) Roglič's success was not enough in the short-term he said, for him to foster plans of taking part in cycling's ultimate cobbled challenge post the GP de Denain the next stop for Roglič was a flight out of Brussels to Italy for a very different Monument: Milan-San Remo on Saturday Alasdair FotheringhamSocial Links NavigationAlasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991 He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain he has also written for The Independent, The Guardian, ProCycling UAE Team Emirates sprinter beats Tim van Dijke in breakaway sprint 2008 winner Edvald Boasson Hagen (TotalEnergies) instigated the winning move at 30km out on the Quérénaing cobbled sector bringing seven other men with him in the attack The group would quickly build a 20-second advantage over the peloton catching the early break along the way before splintering to five on the final sector at Avesnes-le-Sec and the UAE pairing of Molano and Mikkel Bjerg away and set to contest the finish Bjerg led things out after a long pull for Molano though it was Boasson Hagen who started the sprint long at 300 metres to go who earlier this year won a stage of the UAE Tour though and came through to take a clear victory all in good position and all day perfect entering the pavé," Molano said after the finish "Thank you to Mikkel Bjerg – amazing Good legs in the sprint and in the pavé "I started at the UAE Tour with a good victory Now after Tirreno-Adriatico I have good legs and good recovery I'm very happy and it's a good victory for me." Kielich rounded out the podium in third place ahead of Boasson Hagen and a celebrating Bjerg while late attacker Sam Watson (Groupama-FDJ) grabbed sixth place after jumping from the peloton at 1.5km from the line The day's breakaway riders had asserted themselves at the very start of the race on the local laps in Denain with eight men making it out front including Paul Lapeira (AG2R Citroën) They were preparing for a long ride over the cobbles at a mini Paris-Roubaix on the 195km course and they'd survive out front until just before the penultimate sector at Haspres what would turn out to be the winning attack group had already been on the move for over 15km having taken advantage of a cluster of three tough cobbled sectors to go clear of the peloton Jumbo-Visma hedged their bets by controlling the peloton on behalf of sprinter Olav Kooij though they wouldn't reach the front of the race before the line the breakaway split up as Boasson Hagen led the way with the five that would go to the finish emerging at the front there was carnage in the peloton as several riders hit the deck along with a race motorbike The leaders held a still-slim 30-second lead into the final 10km though with most of the quintet working hard and Bjerg sacrificing himself fully for his sprinter Molano they had enough firepower to hold off the fractured chase behind despite the presence of several sprinters in the peloton it looked as though British youngster Watson would make it six contesting the final but he would end up finishing nine seconds down as Molano captured the win in Denain Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker PARIS — Emmanuel Macron is showing signs of nerves as he steps up his campaigning ahead of the second round of the French presidential election During a visit to the northern town of Denain on Monday the French president made missteps and appeared unprepared as he came up against unhappy members of the public With polls suggesting a very tight runoff race between Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen the incumbent is hitting the campaign trail with gusto after taking a light-touch approach ahead of the first round But his first visit to hostile territory did not go well Denain, one of the poorest towns in France, is a short drive away from Le Pen’s electoral fiefdom in the rust belt in northeastern France, where the National Rally has thrived in recent years. Some 41 percent of voters in Denain chose Le Pen in the election’s first round Hammered by locals over his management of the COVID-19 pandemic and his plans to reform the French pension system Macron seemed lost for words on the former and appeared to backtrack on previous commitments on the latter After a woman objected to school closures during lockdown Macron clumsily answered that she did not live “in the real world,” adding that schools were very quickly reopened after the start of the pandemic in 2020 “I don’t live in the real world?” the woman “people will be laughing in front of their TV sets.” The encounter sums up the difficulties Macron faces as he dives into campaigning keen to prove that he is in touch with ordinary people and giving the impression that he is frantically trying to make up for time lost Macron officially announced his presidential bid only last month, and delayed campaigning in the wake of the war in Ukraine. When he finally hit the campaign trail and went on campaign stops in areas held by allies Le Pen started a low-profile tour of France six months ago visiting small towns and villages and campaigning on issues that affect ordinary French such as the cost of living and jobs In the first round of voting on Sunday, Macron finished ahead of Le Pen with 27.8 percent of the vote, compared with 23.2 percent for the far-right leader. However, polls are predicting a much tighter race than in their last duel in 2017 as many voters from rural areas and the working classes are expected to swing behind Le Pen on April 24 With all of the candidates on the left knocked out, Macron and Le Pen are both seeking to win over left-wing voters. Twenty-two percent of voters backed far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round and they appear split between abstaining in the second round and backing either Le Pen or Macron Things went from bad to worse for Macron on Monday The French president appeared to U-turn on his flagship proposal to raise the legal age of retirement to 65 and introduce a minimum state pension of €1,100 Macron told locals that he was open to adjusting the timeframe and the age of retirement in a bid to unite people behind his reforms “I am ready to change the timeline and say we don’t necessarily have to do the reform by 2030 if I feel that people are too worried about it,” he said and then when I go and listen to people I tell them I’m not budging,” he said adding that there would be concessions for workers in tough jobs But pensions are a centerpiece of Macron’s reelection bid and his hints at compromise appeared to take his camp by surprise. An adviser to the French president on Monday told Playbook Paris that Macron’s comments were not a change of policy before backtracking a couple of hours later The hints also raise questions about Macron’s long-term commitment to his own campaign platform With Le Pen offering to bring down the retirement age to 62 Macron is under pressure to offer some compromises on pensions particularly to unskilled workers who often start their careers earlier On Tuesday, his far-right rival told French radio France Inter that his concessions were “a maneuver” to attract left-wing voters not when there are 10 days to go before the second round,” Le Pen told journalists Macron has not denied he is open to changing his plans for reform in the wake of first-round results economically liberal agenda during his last mandate he will now have to convince both Le Pen and Mélenchon voters that he has a solid plan for them too The former Islamist rebel has received a cautious welcome from the international community EU executive is planning a two-track approach of incentives and retaliatory measures to convince the White House to strike a deal Paris accused Russia’s Fancy Bear group of conducting cyberattacks on the French president’s campaign team Paris and Berlin have been at loggerheads for years The Dutch road race champion soloed to the line ahead of a charging peloton after attacking on the final cobbled sector of the race Marc Sarreau (Groupama-FDJ) won the sprint for second place while Timothy Dupont (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) took third place who looked like his spring campaign was in danger after crashing hard in the final of Nokere Koerse earlier this week attacked 40km from the line to catch the breakaway before later going all out for the win Used to solo victories during the cyclo-cross season the 24-year-old rode the final eight kilometres alone after his stinging attack left companions Mihkel Raïm (Israel Cycling Academy) and Alex Kirsch (Trek-Segafredo) in the dust “I was still a little bad [from the crash] we were in another world,” said Van der Poel after the finish “I knew I had to get to this last sector of cobbles 9km from the finish “I was really going deep to stay ahead but I didn’t look back to see the peloton “Today we saw how strong the team was – their work was incredible It was one of the first times I have finished solo at this level and I’m proud of that It was one of the most difficult victories.” The GP de Denain is one of the newer cobbled one-day races on the calendar having been a race for the sprinters until last year’s edition This time around there was 21km of cobbles including the Wallers à Haveluy sector which regularly features in Paris-Roubaix A group of 15 men got up the road after a fast opening with their advantage over the peloton reaching a maximum of two minutes at the midway point of the race Bert De Backer (Vital Concept-B&B Hotels) Lasse Norman Hansen (both Corendon-Circus) Guillaume Boivin (both Israel Cycling Academy) and Alexandre Pichot (Direct Énergie) were among the more notable names to make the break coming down to 45 seconds with 45km and four cobbled sectors left to race going clear on the Marquette à Abscon sector 41km out A couple of kilometres later they had caught the break and Janssens and Hansen were put to work on the front in service of the team leader Some 30 seconds back Roompot-Charles were driving the peloton it was back to the cobbles and action in the peloton as attacks flew with Van der Poel alert to the moves as the break shrunk to 10 riders under the pressure With the peloton closing in as the break reached the penultimate cobbled sector forming a leading trio heading into the final 10km Van der Poel went for it again with a brutal attack on the final sector His companions were left floundering in his wake and were swallowed up by the peloton on the run-in The 20-second gap looked fragile but Van der Poel was in full solo time trial mode and held strong on the run-in to secure an impressive victory Solutions CreditsRow 13 - Cell 2 15Andreas Stokbo Nielsen (Den) Riwal Readynez Cycling TeamRow 14 - Cell 2 16Damien Touze (Fra) Cofidis Solutions CreditsRow 56 - Cell 2 58Lindsay De Vylder (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-BaloiseRow 57 - Cell 2 59Loic Chetout (Fra) Cofidis A 72-year-old man is in jail after he told Corpus Christi police he killed his family with a stick Mohammad Sahi was taken into custody on suspicion of killing two family members and injuring a third who were found inside a home on Corpus Christi's Southside on Thursday Sahi was taken into custody and later booked into the Nueces County Jail on suspicion of capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault family violence A person commits capital murder if the person murders more than one person during the same incident His bail was set at $2.75 million. Police responded to a home in the 6200 block of Denain Drive The call indicated an older man approached a neighbor and told them to call police He had blood on his face and a possible broken nose An officer arrived near the home and was flagged down by the man "As I drove into the driveway the male walked to my unit and he made a (statement) saying he killed his family," the document reads "As I was backing up I saw he had some blood on his shirt and I found (it) strange that he was very calm after making the statement he just made." The man also appeared to have blood on his neck and spoke broken English The man told the officer again that he killed three people and pointed toward the home Police then detained the man before it began to rain. (Corpus Christi Fire Department) and I were all at the front door when I began to knock," the document reads "The male then stated out loud that no one is going to answer the door and for me to just go inside." Police went inside and saw a person lying on the floor of the living room Police went inside the home and found a woman and two men with head injuries Police identified them as Sahi's daughter and two grandsons. who is identified in the document as 47-year-old Nargis Zaman, was found in the living room of the two-story home She had visible head and facial trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police then walked upstairs and found two more people. A man was found dead lying between two couches in a den area upstairs "This victim was a male and he was (lying) on his left side," the document reads "He also had severe head and facial trauma." The man is identified in the document as 18-year-old Hamad Zaman Police found a 21-year-old man with severe head and facial trauma in a bedroom identified in the document as another one of Sahi's grandsons, was found lying on a bed and showed signs of life "The suspect male who I placed in handcuffs was still sitting by the front door during my check for other victims and during my investigation I asked him where the gun was," the document reads "The male stated that he used a stick to kill his family." Pena said the incident was contained to the home in the Kings Crossing subdivision, and police weren't seeking anyone else. Sahi was taken to department headquarters to be questioned and was later taken to Nueces County Jail. More: Corpus Christi Police: 2 found dead in home on Denain Drive, 1 person detained More: Corpus Christi's Animal Care takes teacher's approach to prevent cruelty More: Corpus Christi police identifies officer who shot man wielding pipe on Weber Road Veronica "Ronnie" Flores-Herrera is the Real-Time Desk Manager for KRIS 6 News The Emmy-nominated journalist has been covering news in the Coastal Bend since 1997 Texas — The man who police say admitted beating two family members to death and critically injuring a third said he was guilty this afternoon despite his primary language being Punjabi "Whatever they're charging me with is correct." where he communicated with Judge Jack Pulcher through a translator Sahi is charged with one count of capital murder of multiple persons and one count of aggravated assault of a family member and to talk to his court-appointed attorneys Sahi's admission is not admissible in court He was arrested Thursday after police found the bodies of his 47-year-old daughter and his 18-year-old grandson inside a home on Denain Drive in the Kings Crossing neighborhood Sahi told police he had beaten them all with a stick Pulcher set a status hearing for Sahi in December in which the state will announce whether or not it will seek the death penalty Labyrinth Resources (ASX: LRL) reports that it has encountered visible gold during maiden diamond drilling at its Denain Gold Project in Quebec The program intersected a series of new mineralised zones parallel to the project’s North and South veins with results indicating the potential for a ‘much wider’ zone of overall mineralisation than previously thought Visible gold was reported 23.04m downhole within a previously undefined structure With the 1,200m phase 1 Denain drill program set to wrap-up in November Labyrinth notes that it expects to commence phase 2 work totalling 3,400m in the first week of December This second phase of drilling will likely include 15 holes tasked with testing vertical and strike extensions of the North and South veins along with following up intersections on newly-defined structures Labyrinth has recently completed a channelling campaign which resulted in the recovery of 8 samples from surface outcrops of the North and South veins following up from a reported 33.2g/t rock chip assay reported earlier in November These samples have been submitted for laboratory analysis Labyrinth recently completed the purchase of a 100% interest in both the Denain and Labyrinthe assets for total cash consideration of CAD$5 million the company reports that it has already begun work on operational readiness tasks in preparation for maiden underground exploration which is due to commence in January 2022 A number of contractors have been engaged to carry out work to prepare the project for winter exploration electrical and compressed natural gas underground along with road maintenance and snow-ploughing capabilities at surface Exploration is set to test the ‘under-explored’ Boucher lodes located in the footwall of the existing mine structure along with providing data for resource definition and expansion of the existing McDowell Labyrinth recently announced to market that it had completed the purchase of a 100% interest in both the Denain and Labyrinthe assets from Nippon Dragon Resources for total cash consideration of CAD$5 million broken into instalment across 2021 and 2022 ABC Refinery: Back to the future with Trump’s tariffs Donald Trump may have ‘borrowed’ the phrase “Make America Great Again” from.. Pacgold accelerates Alice River with new resource Lincoln receives loan to advance Minbrie Great Boulder plots more holes at Ironbark Lion’s legacy investments ‘demonstrating compelling value’ Mid West ‘ideal’ export hub for clean... Zeotech executes MoU with global trading house Hazer forms Kellogg Brown and Root alliance Flagship eyes potential to expand Pantanillo’s mineralisation ASX feeling a bit deflated, gold rebounds Plug-in hybrid EV sales decline amid slowing... Stay Informed on up-to-the-minute mining news Get the best articles straight to your inbox ABC Refinery: Back to the future with Trump’s tariffs06 May Flagship eyes potential to expand Pantanillo’s mineralisation06 May Pacgold accelerates Alice River with new resource06 May Get the latest Mining news delivered straight to your inbox Two people were found dead and one person was detained after Corpus Christi police responded to a home Thursday morning on the city's Southside. Police were called to a home in the 6200 block of Denain Drive Initial reports indicated the call was for a trauma. the officers discovered two people that were inside the home that are deceased," Pena said "We do have one suspect detained at the moment." crime scene investigators and detectives were on scene about 11 a.m. Officers blocked the area around the two-story tan home in the Kings Crossing subdivision with crime scene tape Signs in the subdivision say the area is "patrolled by armed security officers" and is monitored by a neighborhood watch. Pena said the incident was contained to the home and police aren't seeking anyone else The ages and genders of the victims and person detained were not released Thursday afternoon. Reporter Tim Acosta contributed to this report. More: Off-duty DPS trooper who fatally shot teen in Corpus Christi will not face charges More: Man arrested, accused of murder of Corpus Christi woman reported missing