Cox had been part of a large early break where she was playing a policing role in order to protect her GSD Gestion teammate, Christine Majerus who is the leading French espoir rider. From there, at about half distance in the 100k race Cox escaped with Magalie Laviet  from the Les Caroz team and Emanuelle Merlot from the Vienne Futuroscope team and with the three biggest French pro teams represented it was a breakaway which was well defended from the bunch. After lots of attacks from the other two the Londoner had managed to pull all of them back and the breakaway entered the last kilometre together. Coming into the last 400 metres Cox began a audacious long sprint and held off the other two all the way to the line. The win came as a big relief to Cox who had spent the previous week riding in the 8 day Route De France stage race and surviving it in great pain after a big crash on stage one which had left her with concussion and severe bruising to her lower back.  Her victory was also made sweeter by Cox taking the best climbers prize, her team mate Majerus winning the Espoir prize and her team winning the overall title as the number one French team of 2008.

It has been a frantic year for the Cox in her 5th year as a professional as she spent the first 3 months racing in America before being spotted by her French team GSD Gestion when racing to 5th place in the UCI tour de PEI in Canada. Friday’s victory was Cox’s 8th win of the year and it appears to hail a new period of stability in her career.  There appears to be no time for rest for the Brit though as she takes the start with her team at the Plouay world cup two days after her win and then she prepares for her final stage race of the year, the Tour De L’Ardeche. 
 

Classement:

1. Leda Cox (ES Gervais Les Lilas)
2. Magalie Finot Lavier (Team Les Carroz)
3. Emmanuelle Merlot (Vienne Futuroscope)
4. Magali Mocquery (UV Aube)
5. Jeannie Longo Ciprelli (Team Les Carroz)
6. Béatrice Thomas (ES Gervais Les Lilas)
7. Elodie Le Bail (Bretagne)
8. Emilie Blanquefort (VC Langon)
9. Nathalie Jeuland (Vienne-Futuroscope)
10. Magali Le Floch (UV Aube)
 

Full results and a report can be found at

• www.tour-poitou-charentes.com
• www.ledacox.co.uk