Most riders have their firmly fixed on the Ardennes but for many French riders, the focus is different. With no less than three races in four days, this week is the busiest of the Coupe de France series and offers lots of points for the competition which is always important for the French teams. After the sprint festival in Denain, the series heads to Brittany for a busy weekend where the punchy climbers got their chance on Saturday and the classics specialist will come to the fore in Sunday’s mini version of Paris-Roubaix.

This part of April is mostly about the Ardennes classics but for the French teams, it is also one of the most important weeks of the year for different reasons. Three of the 16 races in the season-long Coupe de France series are gathered in just four days at the end of the week and this makes it a crucial time for riders that aim for the overall honours in the series.

To make things more complicated, the races are vastly different. Thursday’s GÅ de Denain is known as the French championships for the sprinters and is usually decided in a bunch sprint. The weekend races in Brittany don’t appeal to the fast riders as Saturday’s Tour du Finistere is held in hilly terrain that makes it look like a small Ardennes classic while the gravel roads of Sunday’s Tro-Bro Leon have given the race the nickname of the Breton Paris-Roubaix.

Tro-Bro Leon is one of the most overlooked races on the cycling calendar. Held on the same day as Amstel Gold Race, it often goes unnoticed by non-French cycling fans which is a real shame. Held on the gravel roads in Brittany, it is a unique event and so a big target for many of the best French riders. While the local stars often have a hard time in the real Paris-Roubaix, Tro-Bro Leon is their chance to go for victory in a very similar event. In the Breton version of the Hell of the North, the challenge does not come from the cobbles but the dirt road sectors make it very similar to the strains of the biggest one-day race on the calendar.

Tro-Bro Leon was first held in 1984 as ameans for Jean-Paul Mellouët to raise funds for the Diwan school in Lannilis. As I found that most races were very similar, he decided to use the famous gravel roads of Brittany. The race was for amateurs until 1999 when it became a pro event and gradually it moved up through the UCI ranks. Since the current system was introduced in 2005, it has been a 1.1 event on the UCI calendar and it is also part of the Coupe de France.

The race has had foreign winners like Mark Renshaw, Baden Cooke and Ryan Roth but it has been dominated by the local riders. In recent years, it has been won by some of the country’s best riders for the cobbled classics as Frederic Guesdaon, Vincent Jerome and Adrien Petit have all come out on top in Lannilis.

Last year’s race ended with a surprise winner as climber Alexandre Geniez came away with the victory in a race that is held on terrain which doesn’t do him many favours. It marked the start of a golden run of form that later saw him finish in the top 10 in the Giro d’Italia. Benoit Jarrier was second and Florian Senechal who is widely regarded as the next French Paris-Roubaix star, finished third.

The course

Tro-Bro Leon is held on a 204.4km course around Lannilis, a small coastal town north of Brest in Brittany. Like most other Coupe de France races, it can be split into a first part that is made up of a big loop and a finale with a few laps of a finishing circuit. Brittany is known for its many narrow, winding roads, bad weather and short climb and this is all part of Tro-Bro Leon. However, the main challenge is the 31.9km of gravel and dirt road that is spread throughout 25 sectors.

The big circuit is 193.7km and contains 23 of the 25 sectors. Like in the real Paris-Roubaix, the riders face a long section on tarmac before they get to the difficult surface. The first sector comes at the 62.8km mark and from there, they come in quick succession, with the longest distance between two consecutive sectors being just 14.1km (between sector 6 and 7). At 2400m, sector 7 is the longest but most of them have a length of around 1000m. Some of them are flat, 3 are descending and some of them are uphill. Furthermore, the roads are often very narrow and there are several short, steep climbs in between the gravel sectors.

After 190.1km, the riders will enter the 4.8km finishing circuit and then go over the final 700m sectors for the first time. The final part of the race consists of two full laps of the circuit which means that the final sector will be tackled another two times. It’s a mostly flat circuit with some riding sections but the 700m of dirt roads are flat. The riders will be back on the tarmac with 2.1km to go and it’s a mainly flat run back to the finish, with the final 500m being very slightly uphill.

The weather

Like in the real Paris-Roubaix, the weather plays a huge role in Tro-Bro Leon. The 2016 edition will be adry affair as there will be bright sunshine and a maximum temperature of 11 degrees. There will be a moderate wind from a northerly direction which means that the riders will first a crosswind and then a headwind. Tailwind will greet the riders on the coast and then a crosswind will lead to the circuit where it will be a crosswind on the gravel sector and mainly a headwind in the final part.

The favourites

It is no coincidence that Tro-Bro Leon is known as the mini Paris-Roubaix. With the gravel roads, it includes non-paved roads and it plays out in a way that is very similar to what usually happens in Roubaix. Very often it ends as a gradual elimination race where only the strongest are left in the end. The course may be mostly flat but the race is always hugely selective. Most of the editions have been won by solo riders.

Very often a big group goes clear early in the race and they often go on to decide the race. The gravel sections gradually whittle the group down and very often it is just a handful of riders that are left in the end. As the race is marred by punctures, luck plays a crucial role and tactics often come into play too. The key point is to make it into the early group and from there it will often be a battle of survival that leaves the strongest riders to fight it out in the end.

Like in Paris-Roubaix, positioning plays a crucial role and in this kind of race, the strong classics riders can really excel. Hence, the race is usually dominated by the same riders that do well in Roubaix. With a  flat finish, a fast sprint is definitely not a disadvantage but the key attribute is brute force on flat roads and an ability to handle windy conditions and the constant fight for position.

Florian Senechal fits the bill perfectly. The Frenchman is probably the most talented Frenchman for the cobbled classics and he was very strong in Dwars door Vlaanderen where he followed the likes of Van Avermaet and Benoot after he had taken third in a brutal edition of Le Samyn. He rode to 26th in Roubaix despite being caught behind the early crash and even though he doesn’t seem to have his March condition anymore, he is still riding very well. He was third in this race twelve months ago and there is little doubt that he will win it at some point in his career. Now he is a lot stronger and as he is also fast in a sprint, he is our favourite to win the race.

His teammate Christophe Laporte rode to 20th in Paris-Roubaix and is another great French talent for these races. He is strong on the flats and on short, steep climbs and his Roubaix performance proves that he is getting close to his best form. Furthermore, he is actually a sprinter which will give him great chances if he can make the selection. With Senechal and Laporte both among the strongest, Cofidis could have strength in number and both of them can win this race.

On paper, Sylvain Chavanel has had the best results in the cobbled classics and this naturally makes him one of the favourites. He had a strong start to the year but after he fell ill in late March, he has not been at his best. He was dropped surprisingly early from the break in Paris-Roubaix and it remains to be seen whether he is bad at a competitive level. However, this race suits him really well as he is brutally strong on the flats and fast in a sprint.

Damien Gaudin has finished fifth In Paris-Roubaix and he should be able to do well here too. He rode strongly in Flanders which doesn’t really suit him but was left disappointed in Roubaix where bad luck prevented him from benefiting from his good form. He is clearly at a very high level and this will make him competitive in this race but as he is not fast in a sprint, he has to arrive solo at the finish.

His teammate Sebastien Turgot has even been on the podium in Roubaix and even though he is no longer at the same level, he is still strong in these races. This year he has been better than he has been in the last few seasons and with his fast sprint, he has more options than Gaudin. If the pair can combine forces, Ag2r can win this race.

Baptiste Planckaert has never had success in this race but there is no reason that he won’t have it in the future. He has been flying all year and excels in tough races. Today he won the Tour du Finistere in an uphill sprint and he seems to be strong enough to be with the best on the gravel roads too. If he is there at the finish, no one is going to beat him in a sprint.

Alexandre Geniez is the defending champion which is a bit of a surprise as he is known as a climber. However, he can be pretty strong on the flats and like last year he seems to have hit peak condition in time for this. He is no sprinter but he still managed to take third in Finistere so he is definitely one of the strongest riders at the moment. He has a decent sprint so he will have options in the finale

Planckaert’s teammate Olivier Pardini is another extremely strong rider who can do well here. He won Circuit des Ardennes overall and was sixth in today’s race. He is strong on the flats and has a fast sprint.

Fortuneo-Vital Concept are here with a very strong team that includes Anthony Delaplace and Florian Vachon. The former was very close to victory in Paris-Camembert and the latter rode strongly in Brabantse Pijl. Delaplace is very strong in flat terrain and Vachon is a strong rider with a fast sprint.

Wanty-Groupe Gobert will try to do well with Dimitri Claeys and Frederik Backaert. Both are among the most talented Belgian for the cobbled classics. Claeys was ninth in Flanders but he no longer seems to be in his best form so it remains to be seen whether he will be competitive. Backaert rode strongly in the break in Roubaix and did a good sprint today which proves that he is constantly improving his form.

***** Florian Senechal

**** Christophe Laporte, Sylvain Chavanel

*** Damien Gaudin, Sebastien Turgot, Baptiste Planckaert, Alexandre Geniez

** Olivier Pardini, Anthony Delaplace, Florian Vachon, Dimitri Claeys, Frederik Backaert

* Laurent Pichon, Sebastien Minard, Romain Feillu, Samuel Dumoulin, Maxime Daniel, Benoit Jarrier, Kevin Ledanois, Arnaud Gerard, Guillaume Boivin, Rudy Barbier, Maxime Renault, Marcel Meisen, Loic Chetout