Mathieu van der Poel will resume his highway racing on the Bretagne Traditional-Ouest France on Sunday, nearly a month after being topped world champion. Although van der Poel did exhibit his new rainbow stripes on the Etten Leur criterium two weeks in the past, it is going to be his first WorldTour race since his win in Glasgow.
Van der Poel’s schedule additionally consists of GP de Fourmies. GP de Wallonie, Tremendous 8 Traditional, Circuit Franco-Belge and ends with Paris-Excursions. After crashing out of the mountain bike world championships, the Dutch rider continues to be aiming to symbolize his nation in that occasion on the Paris Olympic Video games in 2024.
“On the finish of September, I’ll race within the Olympic mountain bike occasion in Paris,” van der Poel informed Ouest-France. “To bridge the interval that separates us from this race, I made a decision, in session with the crew, to participate in a number of highway races. The Bretagne Traditional is a gorgeous basic with its winding roads and small hills. That fits me. The interval can be beneficial, so it’s the ultimate time to renew competitors.”
Although he’s a favorite to win the French one-day race, Alpecin-Deceuninck will line with a double-prong risk with Jasper Philipsen, who simply gained a stage on the Renewi Tour.
Final yr, Wout van Aert got here out on prime in a lowered bunch dash, however the Belgian has chosen to line up on the Tour of Britain, and won’t be current to defend his title. Jumbo-Visma will deliver Christophe Laporte who can be returning to racing after a brief relaxation following his DNF on the World Championships.
Usually, the victory is snatched by a robust sprinter who can deal with the hilly course, however not all the time as Benoît Cosnefroy demonstrated in 2021 when he outfoxed Julian Alaphilippe in a two-man break to take the victory.
Former winners on the beginning checklist embrace AG2R Citroën Crew duo of Cosnefroy (2021) and Oliver Naesen (2018, 2016), Jayco-AlUla’s Michael Matthews (2020), Ineos Grenadiers’ Elia Viviani (2017) and TotalEnergies’ Edvald Boasson-Hagen (2012).
Different riders to observe embrace 21-year-old Arnaud de Lie (Lotto Dstny) who got here shut final yr to finally end fourth, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Alaphilippe (Soudal Fast-Step).
Centered round Plouay, the 258.3km course delivers a loop of powerful, selective racing in Brittany with 4,235 metres of elevation earlier than the end line. As they hit 95 kilometres to go, the ten hills will come quick within the subsequent 50km, beginning with Ty Coz, and together with Le Hellès, and Kervelen, all three with most ramps of 12%.
In between all these leg-busting ascents, the organizers added an 800-metre gravel part at 80 km from the end, as a way to ‘enliven the race and get up the peloton’.
Ten extra hills will proceed to sap the legs within the last 40 kilometers earlier than the peloton faces the identical quick ending circuit as in earlier years. The 11.7km loop consists of the Bosse of Rostervel (1.5 km at 4.5%), 9km from the end. The Côte du Lézot (1km at 6%) with a max ramp of 14%, adopted by the quick and steep Kerscoulic (225m at 8.9%) would be the final huge impediment to beat solely 4km from the ultimate victory.