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2024 Grand Prix de Denain (1.Pro), France

65th edition: Thursday, March 14, 2024

GP de Denain podium history | 2023 edition | Start list

Denain - Denain, 196.2 km

Jannik Steimle wins the 2024 GP de Denain. Sprint Cycling photo

Race map & profile

Les Woodland's book Cycling’s 50 Craziest Stories is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at start/finish city of Denain at 1:10 PM, local time: 16C (62F), mostly cloudy, with the wind from the south at 21 km/hr (13 mph). There is a 1% - 4% chance of rain during the afternoon.

The race: Damien Touzé (Decathlon Ag2r) & Jasper Dejaegher (Flanders-Baloise) did not start.

Here's the report from winner Jannik Steimle's Team Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.

In a spectacular display of strength and strategy, Jannik Steimle emerged victorious at the 2024 Grand Prix de Denain this Thursday, March 14th, marking his seventh professional win and the maiden triumph for the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in 2024.

Time to race.

The 27-year-old German, making his debut appearance at the GP de Denain, surged ahead as part of an early breakaway alongside Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel – Roubaix), Paul Hennequin (Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur), Ceriel Desal (Bingoal WB), and James Fouché (Euskaltel – Euskadi), establishing a commanding lead of over six minutes on the peloton after just 20 kilometers of racing. Overcoming the challenging 196.2 km route, peppered with 12 cobblestone sectors, the quintet maintained their advantage as the kilometers ticked by.

Doesn't play well with others. Stefan Küng took off alone with 50 km to go.

As the race approached its final 60km, the breakaway dwindled to three riders, yet they maintained a comfortable lead of over three minutes, affording them a strategic advantage. Despite the narrowing gap as they entered the last cobbled sector within the final 15km, a crash within the chasing group alleviated the pressure on the leaders, paving the way for Steimle’s triumphant sprint finish.
Ultimately, Steimle outsprinted Ceriel Desal in a two-up gallop to the line and claimed an emphatic victory in Denain.

Reflecting on his victory, Steimle expressed his delight at clinching his inaugural win with the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. “I’m really happy with my first victory with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team! I didn’t expect to go on the breakaway today but I was there and felt good from the start. The whole team supported me all day and pushed me to the line. I’m really happy that we made it to the finish. It was a good group from the start and we really raced well together. The key was to stay on the bike in the wet cobbles,” said the elated Steimle.

Despite facing challenges with his form in recent weeks, Steimle credited his family for their steadfast encouragement, highlighting the significance of their support in his journey to victory:

“I was not so happy with my shape in the last weeks but my family supported me throughout it all and today I’m so happy it paid off! It took me three months to get this first victory with the team but now It’s here and I’m going into the big classics in the next weeks with a lot of motivation!” concluded the German from Weilheim an der Teck.

Steimle’s triumph not only marked his first victory since 2021 but also served as an important milestone for the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, kickstarting our 2024 win tally.

Complete results:

196.2 kilometers raced at an average speed of 41.965 km/hr

Race map & profile:

2024 GP de Denain map

2024 GP de Denain profile

Start list with back numbers, March 13, 2024: