Wins for youngsters Cousin and Tulik

Europcar

Team Europcar notched successive victories in the Rhone Alpes Isere Tour on the weekend thanks to Jerome Cousin and Angelo Tulik.

Cousin won stage three of the race on Saturday before French compatriot Tulik picked up the first professional win of his career with victory in Sunday’s stage four.

Youngster Cousin was part of a three-man breakaway that held a nine-minute advantage over the peloton. The 22-year-old then attacked on the first-category Col de l’Oeillon to take a magnificent solo stage scalp – his second of the season after winning stage two of the Tour de Normandie.

One day later, 21-year-old Tulik made it two-in-two for Jean-Rene Bernaudeau’s Vendee-based team. Tulik broke clear with three riders - David Moncoutie (Cofidis), Sergey Rudaskov (Itera-Katusha) and Eric Berthou (Bretagne-Schuller) – before beating his more experienced fellow escapees in the final sprint, one minute ahead of the peloton.

It was Tulik’s first win as a professional after being promoted to the Team Europcar roster from the Vendee U development squad last winter.

Elsewhere in Europe over the weekend, veteran sprinter Sebastien Chavanel finished third in the opening stage of the Tour de Picardie on Friday before taking fourth in the third and final stage on Sunday.

Germany’s John Degenkolb won both stages either side of Dutchman Kenny van Hummel’s stage two win. In the opening stage, Team Europcar’s Yohann Gene tried his luck 15km from the finish but was caught underneath the final kilometre banner.

Chavanel finished seventh in the GC, with Sebastien Turgot one place better in sixth.