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October 5 ^th 2024 - 17:08

Key points:

• The 118th edition of Paris-Tours, which will start on Sunday in Chartres, offers a 213.8 km course including eight climbs and ten gravel sectors in the last 67 kilometres. The event will feature in 2 hours and 20 minutes of television coverage, with the live broadcast starting at 3pm.

• Several world class sprinters and Flemish classics specialists are on the start list, many with the ambition of adding the autumn classic to their palmares for the first time. Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie and former world champion Mads Pedersen, who is taking part in the event for the first time, are the big favourites, whilst last year’s winner Riley Sheehan, is an outsider determined to achieve the double.

• The local French contingent also looks very strong with former European champion Christophe Laporte, double winner of the event Arnaud Demare (2021 and 2022) and Olympic vice-champion Valentin Madouas all present. Fans will also have a close eye on Anthony Turgis, winner of the ‘Chemins Blancs’ stage of the Tour de France three months ago.

WET AND WINDY FROM START TO FINISH

At 213.8 kilometres, the course of the 118th edition of Paris-Tours is the same as that of the last two years. Ten gravel sectors and eight climbs remain in the last third of the race. The weather could impact the race, as in perfect contrast to the blue skies that dominated Chartres on Saturday, showers are forecast throughout the day on Sunday. “It will be wet with a headwind in the first part of the race, which could favour those playing a waiting game,” expects Cédric Coutouly, the race director. “However, the headwind sometimes allows the escapees to get a little further ahead. Last year, Lewis Askey went all the way to finish second. Will the rain change the race profoundly? I don't think so. But we'll see, it will be a first [since the introduction of the gravel roads in 2018]. In 2020, it was only wet at the end. This time, it will be all day long.” The muddy conditions could lead to fewer punctures than usual because, “soft ground is less brittle ground. For the problems the rain could cause, it will be a real experience for future years.”

PHILIPSEN: "I HAVE HIGH AMBITIONS"

After a summer that saw him win three more stages on the Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen has maintained his good form. The Belgian won the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro on Thursday, the ninth victory of his season and the 51st of his career. “I still had a bit of a dip. But after a good training camp, the good feeling came back ahead of the last races of the season. Of course, Paris-Tours is a great goal at the end of it. It's a race with a long and beautiful history. I won it in 2017 in the U23s and I hope to finally win it against the pros,” states the Belgian who finished 12th in the race in 2021 and abandoned after a crash in 2022. “It won't be easy, but I have high ambitions,” he adds. In the event of a group finish, the green jersey winner of the 2023 Tour de France could find himself facing other big name sprinters such as Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek), Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech), the Belgian champion Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), who beat him on Tuesday in Binche-Chimay-Binche, and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&b Hôtels) one of the four former winners on sunday's start-list with Matteo Trentin (2017), Soren Kragh Andersen (2018) and Riley Sheehan (2023). Philipsen also commented, “If it rains, it could be epic. We will have to fight to be in a good position on the gravel paths. I don't know if there will be a bunch sprint, we will see depending on how the race goes!”

PEDERSEN: “IT’S A RACE I CAN WIN, SO THAT’S THE TARGET”

Former World Champion Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek) is one the biggest names on the start list for the race and must be considered a serious candidate for victory on Sunday afternoon. The 28 year-old is all set for his Paris-Tours debut and whilst he will not divulge how his team will approach the race tactically, he is clear about his ambitions at the finish line. “I don’t want to get fixed on a particular plan, because just like the classics this race can unfold in different ways,” he says. “We’ve seen small groups and bunch sprints – in either case we have a strong team who can handle whatever happens in the race. I think it’s a race I can win, so that’s the target.” The powerful Dane knows he’ll have to ride intelligently to make it through a demanding finale to the race in a good position, with a hilly last 70km featuring no less than ten gravel sectors. Pedersen states, “The vineyard paths are all grouped towards the end of the race, along with most of the climbs, so there will be lots of fresh legs when we reach them. Just like the spring classics, it’s important to ride smart and take care of your equipment. I’m sure it will be an exciting race for the fans. It is my first time racing there, I’m looking forward to it.”

SHEEHAN: "THE VICTORY CHANGED MY LIFE"

One year on, Riley Sheehan looks back fondly on his breakthrough performance and the victory which helped promote him to World Tour level. The American was only a trainee with his team Israël-Premier Tech when he took his first professional victory on the Avenue de Grammont on 8th October last year. "It changed not only my career, but also my life. There were some talks with the team before that but I didn't have a pro contract signed. I think the win was good for the negotiations!" smiles the 24-year-old Boulder native, who has had a solid 2024 season with four top 4s including his 4th place at the Tro Bro Leon. Sheehan reveals, “I've been thinking about the race since I finished the Vuelta! It feels really special to return to this race, especially as it's the last race of my season, I really hope to try and do the same thing I did last year. I still think I can be a dark horse in the race, I don't think I might be the favourite. If it rains, I would be very excited as well, I tend to perform better in the rainy races. It will be more chaos and chaos is something I love.”

TURGIS RETURNS TO THE GRAVEL: "IT BRINGS BACK GOOD MEMORIES"

Anthony Turgis' ninth participation in Paris-Tours brings with it some special sensations this year for the 30-year-old from the Paris region. The TotalEnergies rider returns to the gravel paths, three months after his memorable ride to victory through the vineyards of Aube on the ninth stage of the Tour de France. He comments, “Of course, it brings back good memories. In terms of elevation, the Troyes stage was a little harder, the paths are different and the surroundings too. But it's true that Paris-Tours looks quite similar on paper.” While the event fits his profile as a Flemish classics specialist, it has never quite worked out for him yet at this race. His best result is a 13th place, achieved last year. He continues, “I've had some crashes but some years I was tired because it's the end of the season. But now, it's going pretty well, so we'll see if fate finally smiles on me!” If it doesn't, there will at least be one thing to celebrate as his teammate Julien Simon, 39, will be saying goodbye to the peloton, as will Edvald Boasson Hagen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and Michael Morkov (Astana Qazaqstan Team). Turgis adds, “I started my career alongside Julien Simon, I've known him for 10 years. I'm very happy to be here for the end of his career!”

A FRESH RAINBOW JERSEY IN THE U23 RACE

As tradition dictates, about an hour before the pros, the under-23 riders will take to the Avenue de Grammont. The 179 km Paris-Tours Espoirs is the last major event on the U23 category calendar in 2024. The Norwegian contingent have won the last three editions courtesy of Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (2021), Per Strand Hagenes (2022) - both present in the pro race this Sunday - and Sakarias Koller Loland (2023). All eyes, of course, will be on the World Champion's jersey on the very broad shoulders of Niklas Behrens (1.95m). The 20-year-old German, who will leave Lidl-Trek Future Racing for Visma|Lease a Bike this winter, will be wearing his new rainbow jersey in his first race since his victory in Zurich on 27th September. The local French fans, meanwhile, will be closely watching the former French junior champion Antoine L'Hôte (Décathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team), winner of the Tour d'Eure-et-Loir last weekend. A little earlier in the day, the Paris-Tours Kilometer will see 13 teams competing in a sprint showdown bringing together four categories (cadets, cadets, junior ladies and junior men).