Rory Townsend's first season at ProContinental level has continued strongly today when the Irish road race champion spent Classic Grand Besançon Doubs on the attack.
While he was on the attack Townsend dominated the intermediate sprints and mountain prime points, winning both classifications in the 170km race from Besançon to Montfaucon.
The Bolton Equities Black Spoke rider, who won La Roue Tourangelle (1.1) last month and was in the breakaway at De Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday, went clear early in today's race in what was initially an eight-rider move. That was soon trimmed back to two and as the remaining six riders hit the climbs deep into the second half of the course, Townsend was among the last two escapees to hang on out front.
He and South African, Morné Van Niekerk (St Michel-Mavic-Auber93), were eventually caught with 14km to go after their initial breakaway move had built a gap of over five minutes earlier in the race.
Related News
When Townsend and Van Niekerk, the race soon started the final 4km climb to the finish, with Victor Lafay (Cofidis) holding off French teenager Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) to win, after the remains of the peloton split up on the final climb to the line.
Roger Adrià (Equipo Kern Pharma) was 3rd at two seconds with Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) 4th at five seconds and Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) placing 5th at eight seconds. Townsend eventually finished in 60th at 8:35.
