For 41 years, the Tour Mediterraneen was a fixture on the early-season calendar in France and one of the most important preparation races for riders from all over the world. In 2015, the organizers finally had to surrender to years of economic difficulties but after a one-year absence, new organizers have managed to put a replacement race together. The new event is known as La Méditerranéenne and while it has taken over the position of its predecessor in the calendar, it is a completely different affair that is more tailored to puncheurs and sprinters than stage race riders.

 

Eddy Merckx, Phil Anderson, Tony Rominger, Gianni Bugno, Franck Vandenbroucke, Laurent Jalabert, Michele Bartoli, Paolo Bettini… The list of winners of Tour Mediteraneen is an illustrious one and the race had developed into one of the highlights of the early season. With its (mostly) good weather and a great course, it was a preferred preparation race for many of the biggest stars and the annual stage to the top of Mont Faron in Toulon was regarded as the first big test for the climbers.

 

Hence, it was a big blow to international cycling when years of economic difficulties ended with its Cancellara 12 month ago and even though the organizers vowed to fight back, the race has not returned to the calendar in 2016. However, another group of people have managed to invent a replacement as they have put together the inaugural edition of La Méditerranéenne which has taken its place on the calendar.

 

The new race is a four-day event and so has the same length as its predecessor had in the last few years. However, it’s still a completely different animal. There will be no summit finish on the Mont Faron and instead the stages are suited to sprinters and puncheurs. Furthermore, it is a much more international event. While the former race was mostly a French affair, the new race will be a real trip along the Mediterranean and will visit the countries of Spain, France and Italy during just four days.

 

The peloton has welcomed the new event but the organizers have not been able to attract the kind of line-up that Tour Mediterraneen had. There will only be three WorldTour teams in attendance – the two French teams Ag2r and FDJ and Astana – and the rest of the field is mainly made up of French teams. Nonetheless, it is a solid field and as it now forms part of a great French calendar that also includes the GP La Marseillaise, Etoile de Besseges, Tour du Haut Var, Tour La Provence, Classic du Sud-Ardeche and the Drome Classic, it has the potential to grow into an important event like its predecessor.

 

The course

The Tour Mediterraneen always had a summit finish on Mont Faron and often also included a team or an individual time trial. With a few sprint stages also on the menu, it made it a bit of a mini grand tour that suited the real stage race specialists.

 

The new event is different and even though it includes a stage with significant amount of climbing, it is a far easier race than its predecessor. The queen stage on the third day includes some well-known climbs but has a downhill finish which means that it is more suited to classics riders. With an opening team time trial and two sprint stages also part of the layout, it seems to be an event that will be won by a fast Ardennes specialist whose team can do well in the collective race against the clock on the opening day

 

 

Stage 1:

The race will kick off in the Spanish city of Banyoles where the riders will get the chance to create the first minor time gaps. On the first day in the history of the event, the riders will tackle a short 5.5km team time trial which is actually more of a team prologue. The course is completely flat and doesn’t seem to be very technical which should make it an affair for the powerful teams with plenty of speed for such a short affair.

 

Time gaps in such a short stage will be very small but as the race is likely to be decided by seconds, it will still be a very important stage. The short distance means that we can expect the sprint trains to do well and they can help their GC riders get the race off to a good start.

 

 

Stage 2:

The riders will be in France on the second day that will see them tackle a short 157.6km stage from Banyuls-sur-Mer to Port-Vendres. The stage includes two small category 3 climbs in the middle part but the final summit is located 58.4km from the finish. The final part of the stage is mainly flat and leads to the finish in Port-Vendres where the finish line comes at the end of a long straight road.

 

Both the start and finish is located at the coast which means that the Mistral can play a role and blow the race to pieces. That could make it a reduced bunch sprint but there is little down that some kind of sprint will decide the first road stage of the race.

 

 

Stage 3:

The queen stage comes on the third day when the riders are set to travel 180.5km from Caldolive to Pegomas. The first part of the stage is pretty lumpy with a single category 3 climb at the 37.5km mark and then the race enters flatter terrain in the middle part. The finale will kick off with 55.2km to go when the riders reach the summit of the famous Cote des Tuilieres (2.3km) which has often featured as a key point in the Tour du Haut-Var. Then it’s back into flat terrain until the riders get to the final two climbs. First they will tackle the uncategorized Col des Marjories before they go up the category 2 Col du Tanneron (3km) which was once a fixture on the penultimate day of Paris-Nice. The summit is located just 8.5km from the finish and the final part of the stage consists of a very technical descent and a very short flat section.

 

This is a typical stage in the hills close to the Mediterranean Sea and it is very similar to a late stage in Paris-Nice. It is up or down for most of the times, the can be narrow and the descents are technical. However, the climbs are neither long nor steep. The Cote des Tuillieres is hard bit it comes very early while the decisive two climbs mostly have gradients of around 5%. The final descent is difficult and can be used to make a difference but the most likely outcome is a sprint from a small group.

 

 

Stage 4:

The sprinters should be back in action for the final stage which takes place on Italian soil. It is held on a flat 6.3km circuit in the city of Borghiera on the Mediterranean coast. It includes a few technical challenges, including a tight turn just 500m from the line.

 

This is a typical final stage of a stage race and this kind of criterium-like stage has all the ingredients to come down to a battle between the fastest riders in the field.

 

 

The favourites

A new race means a bit of uncertainty about what to expect but the terrain is one of the most popular for bike riders so most know it very well. The climbs in the area are short and rarely very steep but the descents can be technical. In general, it is perfect terrain for Ardennes specialists.

 

It is important to note that there will be no time bonuses so it will come down to the actual time gains. As none of the stages are overly selective, it will be a matter of seconds and should be a very close fight. The final stage will be decided in a bunch sprint and is unlikely to have any impact on the GCC so it will be decided in the first three stages.

 

On paper, stage two is also for the sprinters but it is important to note that rain is forecasted for every single stage. Furthermore, Friday is set to be very windy so we could very well get some selection in the crosswinds. It will be possible to gain a few seconds in the team time trial but the most important stage comes on day 3. The climbs are not very hard but you need a solid pair of climbing legs and great descending skills – especially on what is likely to be wet roads – to be in the group that is likely to sprint for the stage win. In short, the race will be a rider with a strong team for the team time trial and to keep him protected on the first road stage and who can stay with the best on the climbs and the descents on the third day.

 

If a group sprints for the win every day, the race will be won by a rider from the winning team in the team time trial that can be there every day. It is interesting to observe that none of the big specialist teams will be at the start so the opening stage will be an open affair. For once, the French teams that are usually off the pace in the team time trials will be able to battle it out for victory!

 

There is little doubt that Ag2r have the best team of climbers but they don’t have much speed for a short team prologue. It is much better suited to lead-out trains that have the speed to tackle such a short effort. FDJ go into the race with their lead-out train for Arnaud Demare so they have much more power than anyone else on the flats. That makes them the clear favourites for the team time trial.

 

At the same time, they have two climbers in the team. One of them is Alexandre Geniez who is making his season debut. The Frenchman had a fantastic 2015 season which was a bit of a breakthrough as he overcame illness before finishing in the top 10 at the Giro and winning the Tour de l’Ain.

 

Of course his form is uncertain but two years ago he was riding really well from the start. The climbing should be manageable for him even if he is not in his best form. His poor positioning and his famous descending skills which he showed off with little success at last year’s Giro could be a problem but he has a strong team to protect him in the wind. If FDJ can win the team time trial, he is likely to win overall and he is our favourite.

 

The other climber in the team is neo-pro Odd Christian Eiking. He had a hard time in Mallorca but that’s not indicative of his climbing potential as he was sixth in last year’s Arctic Race of Norway. He should be able to stay with the best on these climbs even though he doesn’t have much experience. He is faster than Geniez so if he can keep up with the best every day, he is likely to have a lower sum of stage placings and so he will probably win the overall.

 

Ag2r have a very strong team of climbers and they will try to make the race as hard as possible. They have a lot of power and it won’t be impossible for them to win the team time trial. Furthermore, they have lots of cards to play and can really put a sprint-oriented FDJ team under pressure in the queen stage.

 

Their best card is Alexis Vuillermoz whose puncheur skills make him perfectly suited to this terrain. He was in solid form in San Luis and will only be better here. He is fast in a sprint and so will have a better sum of stage placings than his teammates. Furthermore, he is aggressive and a great descender so he may even be able to drop Geniez in the queen stage.

 

Jan Bakelants will be making his season debut in this race and he claims to be in good form. He is not as fast as Vuillermoz but he is not slow either. Most importantly, he is very aggressive and he will be watching for opportunities in the queen stage. He is strong on short climbs, a great descender and the rainy weather suits him well. It won’t be impossible for him to take a solo win in the queen stage.

 

Cyril Gautier is the third great Ag2r card as has many of the same skills as Vuillermoz and the right aggressive mindset to make a smart move. Ben Gastauer and Mikael Cherel both climb well too and this provides the team with five good climbers that can attack in turns. That makes it possible for any of them to win the race.

 

Cofidis have a few fast riders that can pace them in the time trial and put their climbers in a position to challenge for the overall. Rudy Molard is best suited to this terrain but his form was not outstanding in Mallorca. Arnold Jeannesson was good in Besseges but is not really explosive enough for this terrain. The same goes for Yoann Bagot. If Florian Senechal can hang onto the best in the queen stage, he could create a surprise.

 

Rally Cycling deserves a mention. They have some decent firepower for the TTT with the likes of Evan Huffman, Danny Pate, Rob Britton and Tom Zirbel and fast riders like Pierrick Naud and Eric Young. They could create a bit of a surprise by winning the team time trial and Rob Britton is definitely good enough to keep up with the best on the climbs. The main issue is their condition as the beginning of the American season is still far away.

 

Fortuneo-Vital Concept also have a strong team for the race and with Antony Delaplace as the driving force, they should do well in the prologue. The Frenchman is in good form and alongside Julien Loubet and Brice Feillu he has the best chance to hang onto the best on the climbs.

 

Delko Marseille also have a very good team for this race but it will be a surprise if they can match the best in the team time trial. With Julien El Fares, Remy Di Gregorio, Daniel Diaz and an in-form Delio Fernandez, they will have cards to play on the climbs and especially the latter could create a surprise.

 

Astana are only here with six riders and that will make it hard for them to win the time trial. If they can limit their losses, Andriy Grivko, Andrey Zeits and Eros Capecchi will be ready to attack, with the latter having the best chances in this terrain.

 

Androni have some fast guys who can set the pace in the team time trial but they have rarely done well in team time trials. If they can create a surprise, Franco Pellizotti should be able to keep up with the best even though he is never in good form at this time of the year.

 

***** Alexandre Geniez

**** Odd Christian Eiking, Alexis Vuillermoz

*** Jan Bakelants, Cyril Gautier, Rob Britton

** Danny Pate, Evan Huffman, Ben Gastauer, Mikael Cherel, Andriy Grivko

* Eros Capecchi, Rudy Molard, Arnold Jeannesson, Florian Senechal, Anthony Delaplace, Julien Loubet,, Delio Fernandez, Franco Pellizotti