France’s 2024 street racing season will get underway in model this weekend, with the hilly, technical Grand Prix La Marseillaise on Sunday previous a punchy, diversified five-day course within the Étoile de Bessèges-Tour du Gard, which begins on Wednesday.
Double defending champion Neilson Powless (EF Schooling-EasyPost), who took a surprising solo win within the GP La Marseillaise final January earlier than narrowly outpowering Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) on the final attainable second for the general victory in Bessèges, is just not collaborating, however there are many high-profile potential successors.
Veteran Italian allrounder Matteo Trentin will showcase his new Tudor colors at La Marseillaise with Magnus Cort (Uno-X) one other key identify to comply with, whereas house curiosity shall be excessive in U23 World Champion Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and former winners Amaury Capiot (Arkéa-B&B Lodges), and Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).
Historically a battle between groups fielding quick finishers robust sufficient to recover from the climbs – like Trentin and Lotto-Dstny’s Milan Menten – and the allrounders, this yr Marseillaise has switched across the order of a few of its extra acquainted ascents. After a rugged early part to the 167.5km course, the steep Route des Crètes (4.1km at 7.6%) precedes the draggier, way more irregular Col de la Gineste within the final 30 kilometres, culminating with a quick descent again to the coast and the end in Marseille.
After Marseille will get the ball rolling, there shall be a a lot deeper area for the five-day Étoile de Bessèges. This consists of latest Trofeo Calvia winner Simon Carr, Irish allrounder Ben Healy and double Bessèges runner-up Alberto Bettiol, leaving EF Schooling-EasyPost with three potential choices regardless of the absence of Powless.
Former World Champion and a number of Grand Tour stage winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), winner of final yr’s remaining time trial, will make his 2024 debut, and veteran Classics star Alexandre Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) and two former winners, Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) and Benoit Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) are additionally collaborating.
Bessèges’ first three phases are of steadily rising issue, the primary two with uphill grinds finishes and stage 3 a lot hillier all through. Stage 4 sees the GC riders come to the fore with a remaining grind as much as Méjannes-le-Clap, and a short while trial, once more with an uphill end, then acts as a final problem for the general favourites on stage 5.
Organisers shall be hoping there shall be no repeat of the occasions of final yr’s stage 2 of the race, when an enormous crash with 25km to go left one rider, Valentin Ferron, clinging to the facet of a bridge, and not directly led the stage to be cancelled.
Now in its 54th version and generally affected by the occasional spell of powerful wintry climate situations, historically Bessèges is a course which encompasses a justifiable share of flat, uncovered terrain, typically operating on technical, twisting nation backroads. Because of this, echelons and time bonuses on the mass begin phases might nicely as soon as once more play their half in deciding the general winner subsequent Sunday afternoon within the southern French city of Alès.
