Marie Le Net claimed her first elite national title in Les Herbiers, soloing to victory at the French Road Championships after a day-long breakaway. The FDJ-Suez rider attacked twice in the final 20km, first with Julie Bego and then alone, eventually crossing the line with a comfortable gap to secure the tricolour jersey.
It marks Le Net’s first win since the 2022 edition of La Picto-Charentaise, and her most significant career result to date. The 25-year-old, visibly overcome with emotion at the finish, struggled to take in what she had achieved.
“I don’t understand what just happened,” she said, still breathless and shocked in her post-race interview. “I feel like we controlled the race from start to finish. I knew I had to be one move ahead all the time and not crack under pressure.”
FDJ-Suez executed a near-perfect team strategy, placing Le Net in the early move of three, which grew to seven after 20km. In the closing phase of the 125km race, her teammate Léa Curinier bridged across to the leaders, giving the team numerical superiority. With 17km to go, Le Net launched a move with Bego, then dropped the Cofidis rider with a decisive second attack at 8km to go.
Curinier finished second, outsprinting Bego for the runner-up spot, and both played key roles in FDJ-Suez’s dominance on the day. “Léa sacrificed herself for me, and I’ll never thank her enough,” Le Net said. “The jersey could have gone to anyone on our team today. We were united, and that was our strength.”
Further back, Clémence Latimier of Arkea – B&B Hotels finished sixth after being part of the early break. She was racing just two days after crashing in the time trial. “I gave it my all,” she said. “When Marie and Julie went, I couldn’t follow again after my earlier efforts, but I’m proud to be up there, especially after Thursday.”
Her teammate Titia Ryo also cracked the top 10 in eighth place. Coach Yann Le Normand said the result was solid, but the team had hoped for even more. “We had two girls in the top 10, and that’s satisfying, but we could have had more cards at the front if the moves had gone differently,” he said.
The result confirms Le Net’s steady rise and gives FDJ-Suez a morale-boosting title ahead of the summer racing calendar. The team’s ability to dictate the race tactically was on full display, and Le Net will now wear the blue-white-red jersey for the next year.
2025 French National Championships result
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