Most cycling fans have their eyes firmly fixed on the Giro d’Italia but the month of May is not all about big mountains and long time trials. While the grand tour stars are gathered in France, classics riders and sprinter will head to France for one of the biggest stage races in France as they prepare themselves for a battle on cobbles, on short climbs and in windy conditions at a race that is almost like five consecutive classics.

 

The month of May is all about the Giro d’Italia and it is hard for other races to get much attention. One of the races that is trying to steal some of the spotlight from the Italian grand tour is the 4 Days of Dunkirk whose name is misleading as it takes place over five days just at the time when the pink race kicks off.

 

While the two races may be battling for the attention, they are not rivals when it comes to gathering the strongest field. In fact, the races could hardly be more different as the Italian race is known as the most mountainous on the calendar while the French event takes place in a relatively flat part of France. There is no reason for the climbers to head to Dunkirk as there will be no room for them to show themselves.

 

Instead, the race which is one of the biggest stage races in France is a bit like going back in time to late March and early April. The race is made up of five stages that can be regarded as five consecutive classics and the main obstacles are cobbles, wind and short, steep climbs. One of the stages can be regarded a mini Paris-Roubaix, the queen stage is a bit like a mini Amstel Gold Race and then there are three flat stages where the wind can do some serious damage.

 

This makes it a perfect event for strong sprinters and classics riders and many of those riders make it a big goal as it is a rare chance to win a stage race. Some of the Ardennes riders try to use their post-classics condition to get one final good result while some of the riders from the cobbled races will use the race to get back into action after a small break.

 

This race was created in 1955 by a team of enthusiasts led by René Quillot who held it over four days from 1955 to 1962. It was extended to six days in 1963 and even had a sixth day from 1969 to 1973, from 1982 to 2001 and from 2007 to 2009. HoweverContrary to what its name indicates, it is currently playing over five days in five steps (she was named Grand Prix Trophy-Dunkirk Primerose in its infancy). The name Four Days of Dunkirk comes from the initial period, the race being contested over four days from 1955 to 1962 to switch in 1963 to 5 days and even to 6 days from 1969 to 1973, from 1982 to 2001 and from 2007 to 2009. As there have been several half-stages in the past, the number of stages has been as much as 8th but as the tough economic situation has taken its toll, the race has been battling for survival and currently it is back to five-stage, five-day format.

 

In the past, the race often had a time trial which made it very similar to the 3 Days of De Panne but that is no longer the case. The last time trial was held in 2009 when a young Rui Costa took the overall win but nowadays TT skills are no longer important. Hence, the nature of the race has changed slightly and instead sprinting skills have become more important as bonus seconds often play a big role in the race. It is usually won by a strong sprinter who can pick up bonifications and limit his losses in the queen stage like Arnaud Demare did in 2014 and 2013, or a strong classics rider who can stay in contention in the wind and on the cobbles and make a difference on the climbs in the queen stage. That’s how Thomas Voeckler won the race in 2011 and how Ignatas Konovalovas came out on top in last year’s race. In fact, the last two editions have been great reflections of the kind of riders that can prevail here as they have been battles between the dominant sprinter and the best classics rider. In 2015, Brayn Coquard had to settle for second behind Konovalovas as he lost too much ground in the queen stage while it was the sprinter who had the upper hand in 2014 when Sylvain Chavanel failed to get enough time on Demare.

 

The course

The course for the 2016 edition of the race is very classic. It includes three flat stages where the sprinters can have their say and pick up important bonus seconds and where the wind can potentially do some damage. On the second day, the riders will face a mini version of Paris-Roubaix as a few pave sectors are set to do some damage but the most important stage will be the queen stage which comes on the fourth day. Here the riders will test themselves on a hilly circuit with the Mount Cassel which will turn it into a small version of Amstel Gold Race or Brabantse Pijl.

 

Stage 1:

The race has traditionally kicked off with a stage for sprinters and that will again be the case in 2016. The opening stage will see the riders cover 191.4km from Dunkirk to the nearby city of Gravelines. Those two city are separated by just a few kilometres and the stage is made up of a trip into the mainly flat interior of the county before the riders will return to a final section along the coast.

 

After a flat start, the terrain will be slightly hillier in the middle section where there will be a categorized climb at the 68.6km mark before the riders will descend to the coast. Here they will tackle the small Cap Blanc Nez climb at the 99km mark and then do two laps of a 15.9km circuit that includes another two passages of the ascent. From there it is a flat run along the coast to Gravelines where the riders will do one lap of a flat 21.8km circuit that ends with a relatively straightforward and completely flat finale.

 

The final part of the stage takes place along the coast and so the wind has often played a role. If the wind isn’t right, the stage is likely to be a straightforward sprint stage.

 

Stage 2:

The terrain doesn’t get hillier on stage 2 but that doesn’t mean that the stage will be easier. During the 188.3km around the start and finishing city of Aniche, the riders will tackle some pave sectors but unlike last year they come too early in the race to make a real difference.

 

The first part of the stage consists of a flat big circuit in the terrain south of Aniche where the terrain gradually gets hillier, culminating with two small climbs at the 60.6km and 65.6km marks respectively. Before they get to the hills, they will tackle the three pave sectors at the 26.6km, 45.9km and 53.5km mark and then they will travel along flat roads back to Aniche where they will end the race by doing three laps of a flat 15km circuit. The finale is non-technical but the finishing straight is slightly uphill.

 

Last year the Paris-Roubaix stage created a spectacle but this year the paves come too early to make a difference. Hence the stage is likely to be a straightforward sprint stage unless the wind does some damage. The uphill finale means that it’s a finale more for the lighter sprinters than the big power guys.

 

Stage 3:

After two very flat stages, the terrain gets slightly hillier on the third day but it should still be a day for the sprinters. The stage brings the riders over 174km from Bethune to Saint Pol sur Ternoise and has a relatively difficult first half as there are climbs at the 38.1km, 87.2km, 89-9km and 93.5km marks respectively. From there the terrain gets easier as the riders head to the finishing city where they will end the stage by doing two laps of a 10.5km circuit. It’s hiller than the circuits of the first two stages but the three small climbs all come in the first part. However, the final kilometre is again uphill in a technically uncomplicated finale.

 

The finishing circuit is a bit more difficult in this stage but it should not pose any big challenge for the sprint teams. Hence, we are likely to get another uphill bunch sprint unless the wind does some damage.

 

Stage 4:

In recent years the queen stage in Cassel have come on the penultimate day and this will again be the case in 2016. The riders will cover 178.2km from Andruicq to Cassel and they are by no means easy. First the riders will head west from the starting city to the finishing city, passing a small climb at the 18.6km mark. Having crossed the finish after 46.8km of racing, they will do 9 laps of the difficult 14.6km circuit. It is a very difficult one as it is made up of the two climbs of Rue du Tambur and Avenue Achile Samyn with descents in between and there aren’t many flat roads. The first of those climbs is 3km long ends just 1km from the finish, meaning that it is a perfect stage for puncheurs.

 

The stage is identical to the one that was used for last year’s race where Omar Fraile narrowly denied Maurits Lammertink the win by passing the Dutchman on the final climb. It’s a stage for punchy Ardennes specialists but strong sprinters can limit their losses as Bryan Coquard did in 2015 when he finished 11th.

 

Stage 5:

The final stage is a classic as the race always ends with a flat stage to Dunkerque where the riders end the race by doing laps of a flat circuit. This year’s stage is 159.7km long and start in Hondschoote from where the riders will briefly head south to enter some hillier terrain with a small climb at the 35.7km mark. From there, they will turn around and travel north to the coastal city of Dunkerque. In the end, they will do 10 laps of a flat 6.9km circuit that is technical uncomplicated.

 

Like in the previous flat stages, the main danger is the wind but on paper it should be a straightforward sprint stage. However, the stage has often been marred by rain and surprisingly often the sprinters have been denied by a strong breakaway as four days of tough racing have taken their toll on the sprint teams.

 

The favourites

As said, the removal of the time trial means that the race is now for strong sprinters who can pick up bonus seconds, stay in contention in the crosswinds and limit their losses in the queen stage, or punchy riders who can win the race by attacking in the queen stage. The queen stage uses the same finishing circuit that was used last year and that made the race a bit harder than it had been in recent years as the proximity of the final climb to the finish means that it is almost like an uphill finish. This makes it more difficult for the sprinters but last year Bryan Coquard didn’t miss much as he was just 14 seconds behind in second place in the overall standings.

 

Compared to last year, the paves come too early to play a role so the cobbled specialists won’t have a chance to make a difference. In general, four of the stages will be very easy as spring has finally arrived in France. The weather is always crucial in this race and this year it will be sunny with barely any wind. This means that we can expect four straightforward sprint stage where the sprinters will try to gain time and then the puncheurs will try to make the difference in the queen stage. There may be some rain on Sunday but the weather is unlikely to play any role.

 

Last year Bryan Coquard was very close to victory. The Frenchman won the opening sprint stage, finished second in the other two bunch kicks, did well on the cobbles and limited his losses in the queen stage. This year he hopes to do even better and he has a much better chance than he had 12 months ago.

 

Coquard has always been a solid climber but this year he has been climbing better than ever before. In fact he was fourth in both Amstel Gold Race and Brabantse Pijl and if you can almost win Amstel, you can be up there in the queen stage here. Last year he was on the defensive in Cassel but this year he may actually be climbing well enough to win the stage. Furthermore, he has been sprinting better than ever before and he will find the two uphill sprints to his liking. He is supported by a strong lead-out which has made his poor positioning less important so even though he is up against Nacer Bouhanni, he should be able to pick up lots of bonus seconds.

 

A big challenge will be to control the very aggressive queen stage. Here he can rely on a strong team with the likes of Sylvain Chavanel and Perrig Quemeneur who are both good climbers. If they can keep things in check on stage 4, Coquard is strong enough to finish the job and so he is our favourite to win.

 

Nacer Bouhanni has never targeted this race before but it is definitely one that he can win. On paper, he is the fastest sprinter here and he has a better lead-out than Coquard. Furthermore, he is more consistent in his sprinting and he could very well turn out to be the dominant sprinter in the race.

 

If he is at 100%, we have no doubt that Bouhanni will be able to limit his losses in the queen stage as he has handled much harder challenges in the past. However, this is his first race after a long break so his form is unlikely to be at its best. Hence, there are lots of uncertainties regarding his GC campaign. He will definitely go for stages here but it remains to be seen whether his form allows him to go for the overall. However, if he is riding well, he will be very hard to beat here.

 

Among the puncheurs, Francesco Gavazzi has the best chance. The Italian has been riding really well all year and has been up there in the hardest Italian one-day races. Most recently, he did really well at the Giro dell’Appenninno which is a much harder race than the queen stage here. He is tailor-made for the finale of the queen stage and will probably be the favourite here. He may also try to pick up bonus seconds in two of the uphill sprints and even though it will be difficult, it won’t be impossible. However, a win in the queen stage could be enough.

 

Samuel Dumoulin has finally found some form after his illness-marred start to the year and he recently proved his class when he escaped in the finale of La Roue Tourangelle to take his first win of the year. With that kind of form, he will be one of the favourites for the queen stage. He can also pick up bonus seconds in the sprints, especially in those that are uphill and this makes him a dangerous rival.

 

Etixx-QuickStep are here with a strong classics team and want to blow the race to pieces. The climbs are probably too hard for Iljo Keisse, Stijn Vandenbergh, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck and Nikolas Maes but Niki Terpstra and Yves Lampaert can do really well in the queen stage. Both have just returned to racing but they both showed good form in the Rund um den Finanzplatz where Terpstra was in the break and Lampaert did an excellent lead-out for Maximilano Richeze. It remains to be seen whether their form is already good enough but on paper they are some of the best for the queen stage.

 

If Bouhanni is not up for the challenge, Florian Senechal will be ready to take over for Cofidis. The Frenchman is one of the biggest talents for the cobbled classics and he should find the queen stage to his liking as he is both fast and punchy on short climbs. His form is a bit uncertain though as he has just had a post-classics break.

 

Fortuneo-Vital Concept are here with an in-form Florian Vachon who has been on the podium before. The Frenchman has been riding better than ever in the hilly classics and was also third on the cobbles in Tro-Bro Leon. He is strong on short climbs and fast in a sprint so the queen stage will suit him well. Pierrick Fedrigo is a second option but the Frenchman has not been on fire this year.

 

Wallonie have a two-pronged attack with Olivier Pardini and Baptiste Planckaert who have both been on fire all season. Pardini will try to make a difference in the queen stage where he should be one of the strongest while Planckaert will be one of the best in the sprints. He should be able to pick up a significant amount of bonus seconds but the queen stage is probably too hard for him to win the race.

 

Sylvain Chavanel has done well in this race in the past but he will probably have to work for Coquard. However, he will be ready to strike if the sprinter fades in the queen stage. Alexis Gougeard is another strong candidate as he is brutally strong and very hard to catch when he is on fire. He will have to attack from afar in the queen stage but his form is uncertain as he has been marred by illness.

 

Finally, Laurent Pichon deserves a mention. The Frenchman is usually a domestique but in recent weeks he has had more personal opportunities. He was 11th in Finistere and 4th in Tro Bro Leon and is well suited to the queen stage where he can use his punch and fast finish.

 

***** Bryan Coquard

**** Nacer Bouhanni, Francesco Gavazzi

*** Samuel Dumoulin, Yves Lampaert, Niki Terpstra, Florian Senechal, Florian Vachon,

** Pierrick Fedrigo, Olivier Pardini Baptiste Planckaert, Sylvain Chavanel, Alexis Gougeard, Laurent Pichon

* Julien El Fares, Delio Fernandez, Armindo Fonseca, Maxime Vantomme, Romain Feillu, Linus Gerdemann, Arnaud Gerard, Damien Gaudin, Dion Smith, Frederik Backaert, Xandro Meurisse, Alo Jakin