Mirko Puglioli of the Linda McCartney Pro Cycling Team took an excellent 11th at Sunday's GP Fourmies classic.

In-form Max Sciandri was the man in form, and has won here twice before, in 93 and 95. He was a close second last year too, losing out to Russian fastman Dimitri Konyshev in the final sprint. Accordingly, team manager Sean Yates laid out his plans with Max as the spearhead, but as so often in cycling, the script changes as the race unfolds...

With a break of 11 dangerous riders away, including Stuart O'Grady and 1999 Paris-Brussels champion Roman Vainsteins, Max Sciandri rode up alongside Matt De Canio and Bjornar Vestol. "We ride," came the team captain's instruction.

"It was a blast," grinned the American afterwards. "Me and Bjornar were swapping turns with four Polti guys to bring the break back. I looked behind me on one of the rolling rides, and all I could see was a mil-long train of guys trying to hang on to the wheel in front. We were on the front doing 60kph through the feed - guys were whingeing that they were getting their arms pulled off when they were picking up their lunch bags!"

That move came back due to their efforts, but there were many casualties already. As the race entered it's five finishing big loops of Fourmies, there were many early applicants for the showers. Max attacked with Italian Champion Michele Bartoli, Mirko's training partner. As they looked back at the top of the low rise they had launched their bid on, they saw that things were starting to split under the pressure. "Come on, let's do it," said the former World No.1, and he and Max swapped turns for 5kms.

As expected, panic spread through the bunch as they realised the race could be slipping away, and the strongest men led the hunt. They were caught, but such was the speed of the chase that the peloton was splitting severely. As a result, as Max and Bartoli sat up, another larger group slipped away, many riders behind resting momentarily with the break recaptured. That proved to be fatal: those men would decide the race.

There was no need for the McCartney team to chase, as Mirko had been alert to the danger and gone with the move. Big Mat were one of the teams that had missed the split, and being a French team in the most coveted French Cup race, they were forced into a long, weary and ultimately fruitless pursuit.

Each lap saw more and more abandons, as the speed, the hills, the distance and the unseasonable heat took their toll. But Mirko stuck to his task, then launched a relentless series of attacks that were to split the leaders decisively. He was pulled back each time, but the product was an elite bunch of around twenty hardy souls.

The last split came with two laps remaining, Bartoli's trusty teammates Paolo Bettini and Fred Rodriguez joining five others for the final assault. Mirko, despite his best efforts, was confined to the remainder, but they fought bravely to bring the seven back. There was one twist left though: despite their numerical advantage and Rodriguez's finishing speed, the Mapei duo completely missed out, finishing 4th and 7th. Slovenian Andrea Hauptmann shocked the record books by taking a victory normally reserved for more revered names - a big hand to the Vini Caldirola man.

Mirko shot over the line in 11th, just behind Markus Zberg.