While most of the cycling world will have its eyes firmly on the cobbles in Belgium, another group of riders will be preparing themselves for the upcoming stage races and the Ardennes classics in a pair of French one-day races. The Classic Sud-Ardeche and the Drome Classic offer the riders a perfect chance to test themselves on hilly courses that make them very similar to the later one-day races and provide some of the key contenders with a chance to gauge their form ahead of Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.

For some of the best riders in the world, the coming weekend is the first really important time on their 2015 race calendar as they aim for their first big classics win in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. For stage race riders and Ardennes specialists, it is important to continue their preparation for their goals and the Belgian cobbles are certainly not the perfect way to get ready for races like Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.

However, France offers an alternative path as the country plays host to two hard, hilly one-day races. On Saturday, the 15th edition of the Classic Sud-Ardeche is held on a tough course with several climbs and gives the riders to get some hard racing just one week before the start of the Race to the Sun. One day later, the new Drome Classic will offer an even harder course, meaning that riders can now do two days of solid preparation for their bigger goals.

In the past, Classic Sud-Ardeche was a stand-alone event that was an important event for the French teams but very often it failed to attract many foreign stars. With the addition of the Drome Classic, however, it has become much more international and last year teams like BMC, Belkin, Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Trek mixed it up with the local heroes. This year those four teams have been joined by Orica-GreenEDGE to form an even stronger line-up and both races are set to be hotly contested.

Both races take place in Massif Central which is famously known for its tough terrain and so it is no wonder that both races are really tough affairs that are similar to an Ardennes classic. While the Classic Sud-Ardeche often comes down to a sprint from a small group as the distance from the final climb to the finish is a bit longer, the Drome Classic is more selective and the only previous edition of the race has been won by Romain Bardet who managed to take a solo win.

The course

The Classic Sud-Ardeche always takes place around the city of Ruoms but doesn’t have a fixed format. In fact, the course varies a bit from year to year and this year, it has been significantly changed compared to last year when Florian Vachon won a sprint from a small group.

The start has been moved from Bourg Saint-Andeol to Ruoms and so the entire race will now be made up of circuits. It can be split into two parts. First the riders will tackle a big 129km circuit that includes the tough climbs of the Cote du Razal (7.1km, 4.6%), Cote du Serre de Tour, Col de la Grande Serre and the short Cote de la Vignasse (700m, 8%). Having crossed the line for the first time, the riders start the first of three laps of a 23.6km finishing circuit which is another tough affair. It includes two climbs: Cote du Rocher de Sampzon (2.1km, 8.9%) and again the Cote de la Vignasse. The former comes after 7km of racing while the latter is located with just 6.1km to go. From there it’s a short descent and a flat run back to the finish in Ruoms.

The favourites

Last year the race was decided by a 37-rider group which sprinted for the win in Ruoms after a hard, selective race that had seen several late attacks from the likes of Philippe Gilbert, Riccardo Zoidl, Julian Arredondo, Romain Bardet, Pierrick Fedrigo and Arthur Vichot. However, the Omega Pharma-Quick Step team managed to bring all the moves back to set up a sprint for Gianni Meersman who came up short as lead-out man Florian Vachon took the win after his sprinter Armindo Fonseca had crashed in the final turn.

This year’s course has been significantly changed and so last year’s race can’t really be used to find out what to expect from this year’s race. Last year there were less flat sections and longer climbs in the finale and the final hard climb was closer to the finish. This year the course seems to be a bit easier as there a plenty of flat sections on the finishing circuit. However, the Rocher de Sampzon is a very tough climb and as it comes inside the final 20km, there is no doubt that it will be a selective race. To make it over that climb with the best, you have to be a really good climber and this is definitely not a race for the sprinters. After the top, however, there are still almost 17km to go and they are mostly flat, with only the short Cote de la Vignasse offering a chance to make a difference. As it is only 700m long, it won’t make too much of a difference and so the most likely outcome is that we will have a sprint from a reduced bunch in the end.

The main challenge is to find out which riders will be there at the end. The field is loaded with fast riders who excel in this kind of hilly terrain but if the race turns out to be a hard one, some of them may be left behind before they reach Ruoms for the final time.

Last year Gianni Meersman was in prime position to win the race but due to Fonseca’s crash, he never got the chance to do a real sprint. This year he will be eager to get his revenge and he lines up as part of an Etixx-QuickStep team that seems to be the strongest in the race. He can count on support of several riders who are strong in this kind of hilly terrain and this means that he can expect lots of support in the finale.

Meersman showed great form in the Volta ao Algarve where he won the tricky opening stage before settling into a domestique role in the harder stages. With his good condition, Etixx-QuickStep is likely to go into this race aiming for a sprint win for Meersman and they should be strong enough to control the race. The Belgian may be unable to follow the very best on the Rocher de Sampzon but as he is usually a very good climber, he should be able to limit his losses. With a strong team to reel in the break, an in-form Meersman must be the man to beat in the sprint.

However, he faces a tough rival from the Orica-GreenEDGE team. Daryl Impey just keeps getting stronger and stronger and now he seems to be climbing really well. After he came back from suspension, he made it into the finale of last year’s GP de Montreal and this year he was among the best on the Old Willunga Hill in the Tour Down Under, a climb which is not too different from the Rocher de Sampzon.

His performance in Australia suggests that he is riding strongly at the moment and he confirmed that assessment when he crushed the opposition at the South African time trial championships. Orica-GreenEDGE go into this race with a very strong team and they will probably work for Impey if it comes down to a sprint. The South African has won bunch sprints in the past and it will be tough for Meersman to beat him.

Fabio Felline had a tough first year at Trek but this year he seems to be riding very strongly. He did a fantastic time trial in the Etoile de Besseges and was an impressive fourth in the uphill finish at the Vuelta a Murcia. Later he went on to finish fifth in the Trofeo Laigueglia and he is clearly riding very well at the moment. On paper, he is not as fast as Impey and Meersman and he would have preferred an uphill sprint. On the other hand, he is probably a slightly better climber and if the two faster riders have been left behind, he will be hard to beat.

LottoNL-Jumbo are still in search of their first win and they will be eager to take it in France this weekend. Their captain is Paul Martens who is perfectly suited to this race. The German is an Ardennes specialist and he should be able to handle this kind of terrain. At the end of a hard race, he has a pretty fast sprint as he proved when he won the queen stage of last year’s Tour of Belgium. With a third place in the first stage in Algarve, he showed good form and he will definitely be a contender.

One of the best riders in the early part of the season has been Jonathan Hivert. The Bretagne rider rode strongly in the GP Marseillaise and Etoile de Besseges and most recently he finished on the podium in the Tour du Haut Var where he even took a convincing win over Philippe Gilbert in an uphill sprint. At the moment, he seems to be one of the strongest riders in this kind of terrain and he is fast in a sprint. It will be hard to beat the likes of Meersman and Impey but if this race turns into a hard one, he will be one of the favourites.

By signing a contract with Wanty, Enrico Gasparotto managed to save his career and he seems to be in solid condition as he builds condition for the Ardennes. He climbed reasonably well in Andalusia where he tested himself in the uphill sprint on the final day. He may not be in peak condition yet but this race suits him really well. It will be hard for him to beat the fastest riders in a sprint but in a harder race, he will be one of the favourites.

With a fourth place in stage 2 in Andalusia, Arthur Vichot proved that he is ready for Paris-Nice and this weekend will be his final chance to fine-tune his condition. On paper, this race is tailor-made for him and it will be a big surprise if he doesn’t turn out to be one of the strongest on the climbs. The FDJ leader is fast in a sprint but there are definitely faster riders than him. His best chance is to get clear with a small group in which he is likely to be the fastest.

The same goes for Damiano Caruso who will be the BMC leader in this race. After a few disappointing seasons, he returned to his best in last year’s Vuelta and he rode very strong for Tejay van Garderen in the Tour of Oman. Caruso is a very good climber and has a fast sprint and if he can get clear with a small group, he will be a contender.

Bauke Mollema and Julian Arredondo have both shown good form and they are likely to be among the best on the climbs. As they are also fast in a sprint, they could be the ones to win from a late breakaway. The same goes for Adam and Simon Yates but the twins haven’t done any racing yet and so their condition is a bit uncertain. The same goes for Rigoberto Uran but as he rode well at the Colombian National Championships, his form can’t be too far away.

Ag2r have two very strong climbers in Alexis Vuillermoz and Romain Bardet but as none of them are very fast in a sprint, it will be hard for them to win the race. The best option for the French team may be Samuel Dumoulin but the Frenchman didn’t look too strong in Haut Var. If he is there in the finale, he will be one of the favouries for the sprint though.

***** Gianni Meersman

**** Daryl Impey, Fabio Felline

*** Paul Martens, Jonathan Hivert, Enrico Gasparotto, Arthur Vichot

** Damiano Caruso, Bauke Mollema, Adam Yates, Simon Yates, Rigoberto Uran, Julian ArredondoSamuel Dumoulin

* Cyril Gautier, Alexis Vuillermoz, Romain Bardet, Nicolas Edet, Pierrick Fedrigo, Julien El Fares, Marco Canola, Julien Loubet, Sebastien Delfosse, Armindo Fonseca, Brent Bookwalter, Thomas Voeckler, Maxime Bouet, Michael Albasini, Johan Esteban Chaves, Magnus Cort, Julien Simon