Even outnumbered, Quick-Step retains the tricolor knit since the 28-year-old Northerner succeeds Rémi Cavagna.
Third member of the Belgian formation, Julian Alaphilippe, for his return to racing, completed the 240 km in the peloton.
"Two days ago we were on the podium, Rémi with the French champion's jersey, Julian that of the world champion and I with that of the team: I told them that it would be good if it was my turn too “, delivered in a press conference the Northerner, very moved on the podium.
"I will have the stripes (tricolors on the sleeves of the jersey) all my life."
He owes them a little to "Alaf".
Two months after his fall with a severe toll (hemopneumothorax and multiple rib and scapula fractures) in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the double world champion even helped Sénéchal plug a hole 10 kilometers from the finish in the only slight difficulty of the circuit, the Côte de la Séguinière, where Cofidis launched the decisive movement with Benjamin Thomas.
Alaphilippe "better" than he thought
"Two years ago, I put the peloton in single file for Julian, this year, he returned the favor to me", praised the new champion of France.
His attack preparation at Grand-Champ in 2020 was not enough for Alaphilippe to definitively sow Bryan Coquard and the future winner Arnaud Démare.
This time the two sprinters could not pick up.
Isolated in the lead with the roller-tracker Thomas, Florian Sénéchal was joined by a counter group of three elements including Anthony Turgis, a good finisher – as evidenced by his second place in Milan San-remo in the spring.
It was played to less than half a wheel.
"I know he has strength, that he goes fast in the sprint, we have the same characteristics, we are kif kif. (...) It was played on the positioning of the sprint", described the runner of TotalEnergies.
The young Alsatian Axel Zingle (Cofidis), 23, completes the podium.
Despite the efforts made in the lead and the numerical superiority of Cofidis, the Cambraisien was the fastest.
He deprives his ex-northern formation of the tricolor knitting which has always eluded him since its creation in 1997.
"We knew Florian was fast in the sprint so we kept him in the last shot", deciphered Julian Alaphilippe even if Sénéchal, seeing the big favorite Arnaud Démare in difficulty, did not wait for a grouped finish.
"I can't say that I had a lot of fun but I was better than I thought so I'm happy", delivered Julian Alaphilippe five days before the big start of the Tour de France in Copenhagen where his presence remains to formalize.
That of Sénéchal is even more uncertain, victorious in his fifth race on Sunday, the Cambraisien has never competed in the Great Loop since joining Quick-Step in 2018. Unless this time a blue-white-red effect ?
© 2022 AFP