During the first stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, on Tuesday, May 14, the cyclist from Nice Métropole, Paul Hennequin, finished second in the standings.
The Four Days of Dunkirk is one of the biggest cycling races. It is a competition held in the Hauts-de-France region, and the 68th edition is taking place this year from May 14 to May 19, 2024. For the first stage, the riders had to cover more than 168.4 km between Dunkirk and Le Touquet.
The 173 kilometers between Dunkirk and Le Touquet took place under rainy weather conditions. It took a long while before any significant action happened, and only a few riders broke away from the peloton to gain a few small escape points. Thus, it was a sprint finish that began to determine the fight for first place. Among the standout riders, the young cyclist from Nice, Paul Hennequin (Nice Métropole), winner of the 2023 Tour of Algeria, battled throughout the race against Milan Fretin (Cofidis) for first place.
Ultimately, it was the Belgian Milan Fretin from Cofidis who claimed the green and white jersey, with a 4-second lead over Paul Hennequin and 6 seconds over the Irish sprinter Sam Bennett. The riders will be departing from Wimereux heading toward Abbeville for a second stage of 184.3 km on Wednesday, May 15.
