The confirmation of Guillaume Martin's victory was not immediate, given the small gaps.
But after a few minutes after arriving at the Lelex-Monts-Jura station, the 29-year-old French rider and his Cofidis team were able to exult.
The Norman won the general classification of the Tour de l'Ain, this Thursday.
The third and last stage, 129 km long from the Plateau d'Hauteville, was won alone by Spaniard Antonio Pedrero (Movistar).
Martin, jostled but well supported by his formation, managed to save his yellow jersey which he had put on on Wednesday after winning the second stage.
“It was a very hard fight physically and tactically, especially since we knew we were going to be attacked, reacted the winner, forced to retire from the Tour de France on the morning of the 9th stage because of a positive Covid test.
We had to manage our effort right to the end and we managed to do it brilliantly.
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In the end, Martin leads Mattias Jensen (Trek-Segafredo) by 6 seconds, Frenchman Rudy Molard (Groupama-FJD) by 8 seconds and Finn Jaakko Hänninen (AG2R Citroën Team).
Hero of the day, Pedrero finished in fifth place, just 17 seconds behind the leader of Cofidis.
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Cycling
Cofidis
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes