7885 RIDERS IN THE SUN OF THE PYRENEES

7 885 riders set off from Mourenx this morning at 7h00 for the 13th edition of the Etape du Tour Vélo Magazine, under an extremely clement sky. It took over 35 minutes for all of the riders to cross the starting line.

Very quickly, the pace was set by four riders who took the lead, including Laurent MARCON, winner of the 2002 Etape du Tour (Aime/Cluses), and Jean-Christophe CURRIT, winner of the 2004 edition (Limoges/St Flour).

It was approximately 35 kilometres from the finish, at Km 144, that Laurent MARCON made a remarkable breakaway and in the descent of the Soulor he already had a 3 min lead over his pursuers, Pierrick GILLEREAU, Guillaume LEJEUNE and Jean-Chistophe CURRIT who lost time following his puncture.

At 12h20 Laurent MARCON claimed his second Etape du Tour Vélo Magazine victory, adding it to his list of prize wins. His 3 pursuers then crossed the finishing line. Pierrick GILLEREAU finished in second place and Guillaume LEJEUNE in third. Jean-Christophe CURRIT this year finished in 4th place.

Results:
1 - Laurent MARCON Cat B Bib N° 533 05: 22: 09: 90
2 - Pierrick GILLEREAU Cat B Bib N° 489 05: 25: 16: 20
3 - Guillaume LEJEUNE Cat B Bib N° 446 05: 25: 16: 50
4 - Jean-Christophe CURRIT Cat B Bib N° 459 05: 25: 22 :90

Laurent MARCON: « I’m really pleased, even though I know the pros will do it 1 hour faster. Everything was decided in the descent of the Aubisque. I just took one water bottle, not giving my opponents time to breathe and quickly outdistancing one. I knew that my biggest challenger was Currit. He had a puncture; I pay tribute to him. After that it was really difficult for him to make a come back. I struggled in the last 4 km of the Marie Blanque, but I made a good come back in the Aubisque which I was familiar with from the Tour des Pyrénées.»
Selling bicycles since the age of 23, Laurent Marcon has trained every lunchtime for 2h30 for the last 8 years.

The last competitor was scheduled at 17h30. He was the 7 242 rider to cross the finishing line.

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The Etape du Tour Vélo Magazine has backed the association "Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque Enfants du Monde" since 2003. This year, thanks to the generosity of the city of Pau and the sales of the emblematic bears and shirts, the funds raised will allow to finance the surgery of a child (Donations and information: www.mecenat-cardiaque.org).