On track for glory

September 18 ^th 2024 - 15:53

The peloton of the 118th edition of Paris–Tours will roll out of Chartres on 6 October to tackle an unchanged course stretching for 213.8 kilometres on the roads of the Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire departments.

Eight climbs and ten vineyard tracks in the final third of the race will provide numerous launch pads for any attackers and counter-attackers who want to roll the dice. The course of the U23 Paris–Tours Espoirs is also a carbon copy of last year's, stretching for 178.9 km from Bonneval to the Avenue de Grammont.

The Paris-Tours classic has been on the calendar since 1896. In 1951, it moved to its current late-season slot, which gives it a special flavour. The classics specialists who made the headlines in Belgium and northern France back in spring have now got their sights trained on the finish line on Avenue de Grammont, in front of Tours City Hall, in the hopes of adding the finishing touch to a season crowned with success or squeezing out the last few ounces of form to end the year with a flourish. Once the preserve of sprinters, with brilliant exceptions such as Richard Virenque in 2001, Philippe Gilbert in 2008 and 2009, and Greg Van Avermaet in 2011, the classic has been wide open since vineyard tracks were first added to the mix in 2018. A new set of hurdles separates the must from the lees in the final 70 kilometres, starting on the Côte de Limeray, which comes right before the first unpaved sector.  

A total of eight climbs and ten white tracks provide a launch pad for counter-attacks. The course has a sting in its tail, the Côte de Rochecorbon, where the race has often been decided. Local authorities marshal their resources to maintain these 10 kilometres of farm trails and keep them in good conditions to prevent crashes, but without detracting from the challenge that puts the handling skills of the pretenders to the crown to the test. Last year, a small group gave the peloton the slip with about 20 km to go and the American Riley Sheehan went on to open his pro account. Young whippersnappers, take note.