Attacking top 10 for Axel on debut

Axel Laurance sprinted to eighth place at GP de Marseille after seeing his breakaway group caught tantalisingly in the final kilometre.

The Frenchman impressed on his Grenadiers debut, pushing clear of the peloton alongside teammate Josh Tarling on the steep Route des Cretes climb with 26 kilometres remaining.

The duo combined well to help create a group of five riders on the run-in. Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea – B&B Hotels) and Timo Kielich (Alpecin Deceuninck) all launched accelerations at various points, with Tarling helping to keep things together before eventually slipping back.

Laurance covered the moves over the final climb and descent, yet the with the peloton edging closer, it made for a tense finale. Ultimately the catch was made in the final kilometre, with Valentin Ferron (Cofidis) edging out a narrow victory on the line. To his credit, Laurance held on well in the sprint to secure a top-10 finish.

Earlier, Artem Shmidt, Salvatore Puccio and Omar Fraile had moved the team up well as the pace picked up in the final 40km. Fraile, Ben Turner (21st) and Victor Langellotti (22nd) kept a watching brief back in the peloton late on during a thrilling finale.