A late crash scuppered Owain Doull’s hopes at La Cote Picarde in the UCI under 23 Nations’ Cup.
In-form Doull, fourth in Saturday’s under 23 Tour of Flanders, was taken out in a collision in the front group with 10 kilometres remaining.
Belgium’s Jens Wallays soloed to victory after escaping a group of nine riders in the final kilometres.
France’s Thomas Boudat finished second and Denmark’s Soren Kragh Andersen third.
“Frustrating day at Picardie to be taken out 10k from the finsh in the front group. Not getting back at that point with a broken bike,” Doull tweeted.
“On the plus side the legs were good and the the lads rode strongly for me. Looking forward to ZLM on Saturday now.”
The second race in this year’s UCI Under 23 Nations’ Cup took riders on a 178.6-kilometre route, starting at Fort Mahon Plage and heading inland to circle Abbeville before turning back to the coast for a gruelling 17-kilometre finishing circuit at Mers-les-Bains.
In one change to the under 23 Tour of Flanders squad, Germain Burton replaced Alistair Slater and joined Doull, Jon Dibben, Scott Davies, Chris Lawless and Tao Geoghegan Hart.
Twenty-year-old Dibben was part an early five-man breakaway with Ryan Mullen (Ireland), Sergiy Kozachenko (Ukraine), Luka Pibernik (Slovenia) and Mario Gonzalez (Spain).
The group built a lead of seven minutes and 30 seconds by the 75-kilometre mark but the gap soon began to fall and with 40 kilometres remaining stood at three minutes.
Kozachenko was the first victim to fall away from the front group before Mullen, Dibben and Gonzalez dropped back to leave Pibernik as the solitary leader.
But the Slovenian was dragged back with less than 10 kilometres to go before a group of nine launched a successful attack from which Wallays profited.
Great Britain return to action in the Nations’ Cup this Saturday at the ZLM Tour in the Netherlands.
Results
1. Jen Wallays (Belgium)
2. Thomas Boudat (France)
3. Soren Kragh Andersen (Denmark)
20. Tao Geoghegan Hart (Great Britain)
39. Scott Davies (Great Britain)
73. Owain Doull (Great Britain)
110. Jon Dibben (Great Britain)
OTL Germain Burton (Great Britain)
OTL Chris Lawless (Great Britain)
