Profile for the GP d’Ouverture - La Marseillaise
The race in the south of France opens the European season. In recent years some have spoken of the malédiction or curse of this race as those who win go on to have a bad season.
However there’s little superstition. A rider in peak form in January will struggle later. Or perhaps with a win to their name a winner will be convinced they don’t need to work so hard over the coming months.
Regardless this is a race worth winning and the finish is expected around 4.00pm outside the Stade Velodrome in Marseille (which isn’t a velodrome in case you wondered).
Previous winners:
1989 : Thierry CLAVEYROLAT
1990 : Etienne DE WILDE
1991 : Edwig VAN HOOYDONCK
1992 : Edwig VAN HOOYDONCK
1993 : Didier ROUS = Eddy SEIGNEUR
1994 : Gilles DELION
1995 : Stéphane HENNEBERT
1996 : Fabio FONTANELLI
1997 : Richard VIRENQUE
1998 : Marco SALIGARI
1999 : Frank VANDENBROUCKE
2000 : Emmanuel MAGNIEN
2001 : Jacob PILL
2002 : Xavier JAN
2003 : Ludo DIERCKXSENS
2004 : Baden COOKE
2005 : Nicki SORENSEN
2006 : Baden COOKE
2007 : Jeremy HUNT
2008 : Hervé DUCLOS-LASALLE
2009 : Rémi PAURIOL
2010 : Jonathan HIVERT
2011 : Jérémy ROY
2012 : Samuel DUMOULIN
2013: ?
