For many years, the demises of historical races have marred the cycling scene in the traditional European heartland of cycling but now it seems that the tides have changed. One of the indications is the introduction of two new French races in February, La Méditeranéenne and Tour La Provence. From Tuesday to Thursday, the inaugural edition of the latter race will send the riders through lumpy terrain in Southern France and test both puncheurs and sprinters in what looks like a perfect preparation event for the classics.

 

While new events have emerged outside of Europe or in new cycling countries like Norway, it seems like there has only been a downward trend in the historical European countries. Spain has lost most of their famous stage races and the Italian one-day scene is a shadow of its former self. The races in France have had a better time and most of them have survived. Nonetheless, the Circuit de Lorraine and the Tour of the Mediterranean have both disappeared from the calendar and races lik GP Plouay and 4 Days of Dunkirk have been battling for survival.

 

This year things seem to have changed. In Spain, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana made a very welcome return and a few weeks ago, the inaugural La Méditerranéenne took over the spot from the Tour of the Mediterranean. This week another new race is on the menu when the inaugural edition of Tour La Provence will be tackled in Southern France.

 

With the addition of two new races, the French February calendar is now a comprehensive affair that offers a solid block of racing to get ready for the bigger races in the year. After the opening two event of GP La Marseillaise and Etoile de Besseges, the three short stage races of La Méditerranéenne, Tour du Haut Var and Tour La Provence mean that French riders can do quality racing every week throughout the very important month to get ready for their major goals. It all ends next weekend with the pair of one-day races Classic Sud-Ardeche and Drome Classic, making it a total 17 racing days in the country before we even get to March.

 

The races all take place in Southern France and are very similar. They include the famous narrow, twisting roads with its small climbs that have made the region one of the preferred training areas for both professionals and cycling tourists. There are no major mountains and the terrain makes the event suited to puncheurs and strong sprinters, with the pure fastmen also getting their occasional chances.

 

The inclusion of a time trial makes the Etoile de Besseges a bit different but Tour du Haut Var, La Méditerranéenne and Tour La Provence are all geared towards the same riders. On paper, however, La Tour Provence seems to be slightly easier than the former races but it includes a tough opening stage whose steep uphill finish makes it a perfect day for puncheurs before the race heads into flatter terrain for the final two stages.

 

The race has attracted a solid line-up as foreign WorldTour team BMC, Katusha, Etixx-QuickStep and Cannondale will line up alongside all the French teams and foreign pro continental teams Androni-Siderec and Wanty-Groupe Gobert. Most of them will use the race to get ready for the classics as the terrain makes it the perfect test event for the upcoming one-day races. The great calendar means that France could very well turn into a preferred option for the classics riders in future seasons.

 

The course

The terrain in Provence is by no means flat and that’s reflected in the course for the inaugural edition. T All three stages include a solid amount of climbing and lots of narrow, twisting roads. However, there are no very long climbs either and this is definitely not an event for climbers. Instead, it is tailor-made for puncheurs who have another chance to go for victory in a French stage race early in the season

 

The first stage is clearly the hardest and offers the only real chance for riders to create real differences as it includes an uphill sprint on a 900m climb with 15% sections. The second stage seems to be one for the sprinters and the same goes for the final stage even though a climb closer to the finish could be a challenge for some of the fast riders.

 

 

Stage 1:

The first stage is clearly the hardest and will bring the riders over 169km from Aubagne to Cassis on the Mediterranean coast. The first half of the race include the climbs of Cote des Thermes (7.5km, 3%), Cote du Pigenonaler (3.4km, 7%), Cote du Cengle (2km, 9%) and Cote de l’Espigoulier (12.3km, 6.5%) in terrain that is always up or down. The second half is a bit easier and includes a short flat section but the riders still have to tackle the Pas d’Oullier (6.5km, 4%) and Route des Cretes (3.6km, 8%). The latter comes just 32.6km from the finish. After the climb, the riders will descend to Cassis where they will do two laps of a difficult 7.8km circuit that includes the 900m, 15% climb of Avenue Alphonse Daudet which they will tackle a total of three times. The finish line comes 200m from the top.

 

The stage has a total amount of climbing of 3041m and this will make it a hard test with very little flat roads. There will be numerous climbs late in the stage which makes it possible for riders to make successful solo moves on the tricky, narrow and twisting roads. However, as this is the stage that is likely to decide the GC, many teams will have an interest in keeping it together for an uphill sprint where the puncheurs will come to the fore.

 

 

 

Stage 2:

There aren’t many flat roads but the organizers have found some for the second stage which will bring the riders over 185km from Miramas to Istres. The climbs of Cote des 4 Thermes (2km, 6%), Cote de Rognes, Cote de Seze (1km, 21%), Revers de Seze (3km, 6%), Cote du Calvaire (2.5km, 5%), and Montee Val de Aurons  feature early in the stage but the final 60km of the stage are flat. The stage ends with four laps of 6.3km finishing circuit that only has a very small climb.

 

The stage has 1913m of climbing and is definitely not flat but there will be plenty of time to get things back together. There’s a small climb on the circuit but it shouldn’t be too challenging for the sprinters who will get a chance to go for victory in a bunch sprint.

 

 

 

Stage 3:

The final stage will see the riders tackle 173km from La Ciotat to the major city of Marseille. It includes a tough start as the riders will go up the Cote du Grand Caunet right from the start and then head onto the Col de l’Espigoulier (9.1km, 6%) and Cote du Regage (5km) early in the stage. From there, the terrain gets significantly flatter. There’s still the small climb of Cote Baume du Loup (1km, 5%) at the midpoint and the small challenge of Cote Bleue with 26km to go and La Calade 10km from the finish but it will be a flat run-in to the finish in Marseille.

 

The stage includes 2339m of climbing but most of it comes early in the stage. There are few smaller climbs in the finale but they are not too challenging. Unless the wind comes into play, we can expect another big bunch sprint on the final day of the race.

 

 

 

The favourites

On paper there is no doubt that the first stage is the hardest and this is where the differences can be made. The uphill sprint will definitely create some time gaps and the difficult circuit will even make it possible for riders to make successful attacks. Hence, the race could already be decided after the first day.

 

The final two stages are by no means flat but in both cases the climbing comes very early in the race. Only Tuesday is forecasted to be relatively windy and so it won’t be easy to split the field. The late climbs in stage 3 could maybe be too challenging for some of the sprinters but they won’t do anything to harm the riders that have taken control after stage 1. Hence, it should be a relatively easy affair for a strong team to set up two bunch sprints and defend the overall lead. However, there aren’t too many strong sprinters in the race so it cannot be ruled out that a breakaway will make it to the finish but it will only be possible if it contains no riders that are dangerous for the overall classification.

 

There will be no bonus seconds in the race and so it will all come down to the real time gaps. Real gaps will be opened up in the first stage but there is a chance that a few riders will arrive in the same time. If that’s the case, it will all come down to the sum of stage placings as it was the case in the Tour du Haut Var and this means that the overall contenders will have to sprint in the final two stages to make sure that they end up as close to the front as possible.

 

With the first stage set to decide the race, it shapes up to be a race for puncheurs. This plays into the hands on an in-form Jan Bakelants. The Belgian was clearly the strongest in La where he easily won the final stage which had a similar finale to the opening stage in Provence. In fact, he would definitely have won the race overall if he had not made a tactical mistake in the queen stage to call off the chase as he did not feel comfortable in his chances. Bakelants is very strong in an uphill sprint as he proved last year in the Tour stage to Rodez where he was third behind Van Avermaet and Sagan, and in La Méditeranéenne. We doubt that anyone will be able to match him here and he is supported by a strong team with the likes of Christophe Riblon and Jean-Christophe Peraud who can keep things together on the finishing circuit. Bakelants is clearly the favourite to win.

 

His biggest rival will probably be Francesco Gavazzi. The Italian has had a great start to the year with near-misses in Laigueglia and Etruschi. In those races he proved that he was one of the best climbers. He also did well in Tour du Haut Var even though he failed a bit in the sprints. He has won a much harder uphill sprint in the Tour of Beijing but if the road is really including 15%, it could be a bit too steep for him. However, he doesn’t need to win the opening stage. If he can just finish in the same time as Bakelants, he will be able to win the race by contesting the bunch sprints on the final two stages as he is faster than the Belgian.

 

FDJ are without Arthur Vichot who would have been tailor-made for this race and instead will turn their attention to Anthony Roux. The Frenchman has been in good form recently and he has made uphill sprints a bit of a trademark. A few years ago he excelled in these finishes in the Vuelta a Burgos. He has not been at the same level since then but that’s mainly because he has been riding in service of his teammates. This is his chance to go for a personal result.

 

Etixx-QuickStep have numerous cards to play. Petr Vakoc, Pieter Serry and Maxime Bouet all showed great form in Tour du Haut Var where they were among the best. They are both strong in this kind of terrain and have a relatively fast finish. With more potential winners, they can go on the attack in the opening stage. Vakoc and Serry are the fastest and the Czech champion seems to be the strongest at the moment so he will be their best card.

 

We are curious to see how Julian Alaphilippe will do. The Frenchman will be making his season debut here after he suffered from mononucleosis in 2015. On paper, the race is tailor-made for him but he is unlikely to be in a condition that will allow him to chase results and he will probably ride in service of his teammates.

 

Cannondale are here without Tom-Jelte Slagter who would have been a great rider for this course. Instead, they will probably support Alex Howes who has proved that he can do well in uphill sprints. He was really strong in the USA Pro Challenge summit finishes a few years ago and he was strong at Worlds last year. However, his form is a bit uncertain as he was far off the pace in San Luis. The team can also play the card of Lawson Craddock who has a decent kick and Andrew Talansky who is not suited to the finale but can make a late attack.

 

Delio Fernandez was strong in San Luis and has won this kind of uphill sprints in the Volta a Portugal. However, he abandoned La Méditeranéenne for unknown reasons so it remains to be seen whether he will be competitive. Cofidis have Nicolas Edet who is usually strong at this time of the year and has a solid uphill sprint. Yoann Bagot is a back-up plan and is riding well but he lacks the explosiveness.

 

Roux will be the FDJ leader but the race could be a chance for neo-pro Odd Christian Eiking to play his own card. He is fast in a sprint and a great climber. The race also suits Pierrick Fedrigo but he has not been at his best in recent races. Romain Sicard will be one of the best climbers here but he is making his season debut and is not explosive enough to win.

 

Finally, Katusha deserves a mention. They have no real favourite and so will be riding aggressively. Simon Spilak is clearly one of the best riders in this race and is always flying at this time of the year. He has no chance in a sprint but if anyone can make a successful move on stage 1, it is probably the talented Slovenian. Sergeii Chernetskii and Angel Vicioso will be options for the sprints but none of them seem to be at their best.

 

***** Jan Bakelants

**** Francesco Gavazzi, Anthony Roux

*** Petr Vakoc, Maxime Bouet, Alex Howes

** Delio Fernandez, Nicolas Edet, Odd-Christian Eiking, Sergeii Chernetskii, Pieter Serry, Danilo Wyss

* Lawson Craddock, Pierrick Fedrigo, Angel Vicioso, Fernando Gaviria, Julian Alaphilippe, Romain Sicard, Simon Spilak, Alessandro De Marchi, Yoann Bagot