One small town, two big races
Like every year, on the last weekend of August, the small Breton town of Plouay, with less than 6,000 inhabitants, is the venue for two races in the highest category of world cycling. On Saturday, the women's Classic Lorient Agglomération - Trophée CERATIZIT race, in the WWT category, will be held, and on Sunday it will be the turn of the Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France, a men's UWT race. Both races are the highlights of the so-called 4 jours de Plouay (4 days of Plouay), a 4-day cycling festival that also includes races for amateurs, juniors, and paracycling adapted for disabled athletes.
Classic Lorient Agglomération - Trophée CERATIZIT
Route
The route of the women's race totals 161 km, an unusual distance in women's races, and which will undoubtedly test the cyclists’ resistance. In addition, the route includes several difficulties: 38 kilometers from the finish line, a 1 km dirt road with an upward slope of 5.6% can be a good place to launch an attack to select the group before entering the final circuit, which must be covered two times. The circuit, which has been modified compared to previous editions, is 12 kilometers-long, and includes two short climbs: the first is 1.2 km at 4.6% and the second, 0.9 km at 4.8%.
Favorites
The winner of the 2021 edition Elisa Longo Borghini (1200) heads the list of favorites, which also includes Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (1000), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (1000), Juliette Labous (800), Kristen Faulkner (1000), Liane Lippert (800), Marlen Reusser (800), Niamh Fisher-Black (800), Grace Brown (800), Mavi García (800), Silvia Persico (800), Chantal Blaak (600), Evita Muzic (800) or Pauline Rooijakkers (600).
Bretagne Classic - Ouest-France
Route
The route of the men's race adds up to a monumental distance of 256 kilometres, so as in the women's race, we are facing an endurance test. In addition, there are more than 3,000 meters of climbing, which includes two climbs on dirt roads. As in the women's race, the race ends with two laps of the new circuit in Plouay, in what promises to be a strenuous day for the cyclists.
Favorites
The Jumbo-Visma duo Wout Van Aert (1200) and Cristophe Laporte (600) look like the rivals to beat from a starting list where we also find Magnus Cort Nielsen (600), Biniam Girmay (600), Michael Matthews (1000), David Gaudu (1000), Dylan Teuns (600), Diego Ulissi (800), Jasper Stuyven (600), Alex Aranburu (600), Tim Wellens (400), Andrea Bagioli (400), Mauro Schmid (400), Warren Barguil (400), Victor Campenaerts (400) or the winner of the 2021 edition of the race, Benoît Cosnefroy (400), who will try to win his second Bretagne Classic in a row.